Giant Pacific Octopus

The giant Pacific octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) is the largest octopus species in the world, as well as the longest living. Octopuses are mollusks, related to squid, clams, and snails.

Size: Giant Pacific Octopuses can grow to 100 pounds in captivity and as large as 600 pounds in the wild. Its typical arm length is six feet.

Life Span: Three to five years

Color: Reddish brown, but able to change color and skin texture to match their environment and or mood.

Continent: North America

Range: It can be found along the Pacific coast from Alaska to southern California.

Habitat: Octopuses live in intertidal zones to depths of 2,500 feet. Found in Southern California, northward along coast of North America, Aleutia Islands, and south of Japan.

Food: Typically, they feed four to five times per week on a variety of seafood. These animals are considered scavengers and will eat anything from fish to shellfish.

Reproduction: Octopuses are solitary creatures, both males and females dying shortly after breeding. A female GPO may lay between 20,000-100,000 eggs in her den. Egg laying then initiates the second phase of her life cycle, called "senescence"---whereby she devotes the rest of her life to fastidiously tending to her eggs. During this time, the female GPO will slow or stop eating altogether until she eventually dies.

Fun Facts: The octopus is considered to be the smartest of all invertebrates. In captive environments, octopuses are able to complete puzzles, mazes, and be trained. In some cases, octopus can be seen playing with their toys or keepers. Octopuses are both nocturnal and cryptic, so the vast majority of these behaviors occur at night or in the dark.