Blanket octopus discovered in Pakistan’s territorial waters

Blanket octopuses have been discovered first time from the coastal areas of Pakistan.

According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), blanket octopuses were discovered from the deep sea by the fishermen. The fishermen later threw them alive in the waters.

These octopuses were found from the coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan. The estimated length of the blanket octopuses was nearly 1 meter whereas their approximate weight was 2 to 2.5 Kgs. A fisherman of Balochistan, Saeed Badshah found a first blanket octopus. According to WWF, this is the first incident to discover alive blanket octopus.

In another event, a blanket octopus got trapped in a fisherman’s net 103 nautical far from Sindh’s area Ghora Baari. The fisherman threw it back in the sea. Other blanket octopuses were also found in the coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan after that.

According to WWF, the blanket octopus is usually found in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans as well as in the Arabian Sea. However, they have been discovered the first time in Pakistan. This can be an addition to aquatic animals living in the Maritime boundaries of Pakistan.

The females have a cover layer on their bodies. Therefore, they are called blanket octopuses.