Giant Pacific octopus • Enteroctopus dofleini • Heiltsuk/Haíɫzaqv - Tq̓vá
Top and left: adult giant Pacific octopus. Right: juvenile. Photos by Mike Munroe.
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Identification
The giant Pacific octopus is the largest octopus in the world. Maximum sizes are based on anecdotal information and are likely actually much bigger than stated here. The mantle is up to 20 cm long, the arm (tentacle) span reaches 9 m or more across, and the maximum recorded weight is 272 kg. The globular body of the giant Pacific octopus bears numerous skin folds and large fleshy projections (papillae). It can change colour rapidly, from pale to dark or mottled, and is often a shade of red or brownish-red.
Habitat & Range
The giant Pacific octopus lives from the intertidal to a depth of at least 1500 m, in sandy and rocky locales with clean (not brackish), well-oxygenated water. Its range includes both sides of the Pacific Ocean: western North America from the Bering Sea to northern California, and along the coastlines of Korea, Japan, and Siberia.
Similar Species
The Pacific red octopus (Octopus rubescens) can be differentiated by the three flaps (papillae) that project from under each eye. It does not get as large as the giant Pacific octopus, and does not have the same extensive skin folds or large papillae projecting from its body.
Human uses
This species is commercial fished for food and bait in North America as well as Japan.
Intriguing Info
Octopuses are considered the smartest invertebrates, and potentially as intelligent as a house cat. Alongside giving the animal a very strong grip, the roughly 2000 suckers that cover the giant Pacific octopus' arms are responsible for its excellent sense of smell and taste. See more interesting information about this fascinating species on the Monterey Bay Aquarium and E-Fauna BC species pages.
iNaturalist
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/48863-Enteroctopus-dofleini
The giant Pacific octopus is the largest octopus in the world. Maximum sizes are based on anecdotal information and are likely actually much bigger than stated here. The mantle is up to 20 cm long, the arm (tentacle) span reaches 9 m or more across, and the maximum recorded weight is 272 kg. The globular body of the giant Pacific octopus bears numerous skin folds and large fleshy projections (papillae). It can change colour rapidly, from pale to dark or mottled, and is often a shade of red or brownish-red.
Habitat & Range
The giant Pacific octopus lives from the intertidal to a depth of at least 1500 m, in sandy and rocky locales with clean (not brackish), well-oxygenated water. Its range includes both sides of the Pacific Ocean: western North America from the Bering Sea to northern California, and along the coastlines of Korea, Japan, and Siberia.
Similar Species
The Pacific red octopus (Octopus rubescens) can be differentiated by the three flaps (papillae) that project from under each eye. It does not get as large as the giant Pacific octopus, and does not have the same extensive skin folds or large papillae projecting from its body.
Human uses
This species is commercial fished for food and bait in North America as well as Japan.
Intriguing Info
Octopuses are considered the smartest invertebrates, and potentially as intelligent as a house cat. Alongside giving the animal a very strong grip, the roughly 2000 suckers that cover the giant Pacific octopus' arms are responsible for its excellent sense of smell and taste. See more interesting information about this fascinating species on the Monterey Bay Aquarium and E-Fauna BC species pages.
iNaturalist
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/48863-Enteroctopus-dofleini
Left: giant Pacific octopus suckers. Photo by Josh Silberg. Right: a dead giant Pacific octopus found in the shallows of a bay. Photo by Cody Gold.
References
Cosgrove, J. Enteroctopus dofleini (Wülker, 1910). In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Ed.) E-Fauna BC: Electronic Atlas of the Fauna of British Columbia. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Accessed
Cowles, D. (2005). Enteroctopus dofleini (Wulker, 1910). Invertebrates of the Salish Sea. Rosario Beach Marine Laboratory. Accessed 22/12/2014.
Giant Pacific octopus. Monterey Bay Aquarium. Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation. Accessed 22/12/2014.
Harbo, R. M. (1999). Whelks to whales: Coastal marine life of the Pacific Northwest. Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing. P. 161.
Lamb, A., and Hanby, B. (2005). Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest [electronic version]. Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing.
Authors and editors of page
Kelly Fretwell and Brian Starzomski (2014).
Cosgrove, J. Enteroctopus dofleini (Wülker, 1910). In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Ed.) E-Fauna BC: Electronic Atlas of the Fauna of British Columbia. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Accessed
Cowles, D. (2005). Enteroctopus dofleini (Wulker, 1910). Invertebrates of the Salish Sea. Rosario Beach Marine Laboratory. Accessed 22/12/2014.
Giant Pacific octopus. Monterey Bay Aquarium. Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation. Accessed 22/12/2014.
Harbo, R. M. (1999). Whelks to whales: Coastal marine life of the Pacific Northwest. Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing. P. 161.
Lamb, A., and Hanby, B. (2005). Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest [electronic version]. Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing.
Authors and editors of page
Kelly Fretwell and Brian Starzomski (2014).