#Giant pacific octopus

[snototter]

The suckers of a giant Pacific octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) in Alaska, USA

by Robin Gwen Agarwal

[dailycephalopods]

If you haven’t already can you do giant pacific octopus 🙏 they’re my favs ٩( ᐛ )و

Daily Cephalopod #197

[hadalzonee]

what the octo doin

[respect-the-locals]

🐙Daily Cephalopod Fact:🐙

The Giant Pacific Octopus can be found from the intertidal zone down to 6,600 ft, and is best-adapted to colder, oxygen- and nutrient-rich waters. It is one of the largest octopus species on earth and can often be found in aquariums and research facilities in addition to the ocean. They play an important role in maintaining the health and biodiversity of deep sea ecosystems, cognitive research, and the fishing industry.

[tinycowboyart]

Me and my dorm mates decided to decorate our living area with a whole bunch of fish, so here’s my contribution

[cutestbabyanimalbracket]

Please vote for whichever baby animal is cuter, not whichever animal you like more!

[violetsandshrikes]

This is Opal, a Giant Pacific Octopus at the Bellingham Marine Life Centre. She was saved from a dinner plate and is being housed in a 3,000 gallon system while they’re waiting to release her back at her capture site. Apparently her favourite enrichment item is a baby toy ball ❤️

[fishenjoyer1]

Fish of the Day

today's fish of the day is the giant pacific octopus!

The giant pacific octopus, also called the North Pacific Octopus, scientific name Enteroctopus dofleini, is known for being the largest species of octopus! Living exclusively in temperate waters, their range stretches from Southern California up to Alaska, and from the West coast of Northern America, to the Aleutian Islands, and East coast of Japan. Giant pacific octopi live along coral ranges, rocky outcroppings, and intertidal zones where catching prey is easier. The bite of the giant pacific octopus contains a venom that breaks down proteins in animals, softening muscle tissues and organs over the course of a few hours. Their diet consists of almost anything they can fit in their beak: fish, crabs, lobster, shrimp, some smaller sharks and dogfish, clams, snails, and seagulls. They can tear apart animals with far tougher skin than their own due to a beak structure that can be found on all octopi, made of chitin. This diet can support them getting sizes as large as 29 feet! Their arm span alone can reach 19 feet across, and the heaviest recorded specimen was almost 200 pounds!

Many scavengers predate on octopi, and the great pacific octopus is no different, even drawing in larger predators due to their size. Many marine mammals, such as harbor seals, sea otters, various dolphins, and sperm whales have been found hunting great pacific octopi, along with large sharks. Humans also hunt great pacific octopi with commercial fishing for consumption across the world, taking 3.3 million tons annually. However, great pacific octopi are especially known for their high intelligence, which is used to avoid many of these predators. Octopi are known for being able to survey their surroundings and camouflage at will in many different ways. These animals have 9 brains, one in each of their 8 arms and a central brain, which does more than the others, each of the arms controlling over 200 suckers, which they have the control over like we do of our individual fingers, giving them high control over their movements. Along with the ability to create havoc in research environments, dissasemling expensive equipment, and escaping. 

Like many other cephalopods, the giant pacific octopus can change colors, using this to blend into the rocks around their hiding caves. This color changing ability is quite interesting for study however, when the octopus is resting they turn a milky white color, and when the octopus is occupied by other worries, they turn a deep red color. However, it is found that throughout an octopus's rest they will change into molted patterns that are also found in alert octopi: leading to the theory that octopi too, can dream. In other situations, these octopi have been known to create molted patterns to seduce partners, and to confuse prey. Other than their color changing abilities, they also have been known to surround themselves in shells and other remains of previous meals, to disguise their body when venturing for food. These animals also possess the well known ability to squirt ink out of their siphon, used to confuse predators. They also have been known for changing the texture of their skin, to blend in better with their surroundings. Their intelligence is so high that it is thought the octopi are some of the only invertebrates that engage in play activities.

Giant pacific octopi spent around 90% of their time inside of dens, venturing out only to find prey, and bringing them back into the den to consume. This creates an 'octopus garden' on the outside of the den, where there are piles of bones and shells piling up. However, depending on population, throughout the year these octopi will migrate, in accordance to seasonal changes. Eastern populations tend to locate new dens when the water experiences temperature changes in summer and winter, whereas western populations will move dens to shallower waters in early summer and winter, and then move to deeper waters in the later summer and winter. Northern populations, both the Alaskan and Northeastern, do not seem to have migration patterns.

Their lifespan is relatively long compared to other octopi. Sexual maturity is achieved at 1-2 years of age, but the giant pacific octopus, with a lifespan of 3-5 years, will wait until it reaches a sufficient body mass. This is because a giant pacific octopus will only ever go through one sexual event in a lifetime. After laying eggs within their den, males will fertilize. The female octopi will then brood over these eggs for 6 months, refusing to leave the den for any purpose, eventually dying of starvation, just as the eggs hatch. Eggs are cared for, by having the mother keep them well aerated with cool water from her siphon, and she'll clean them to ensure algae or parasites wont prey on the eggs. Males will also die after reproduction, although they will do this in their own dens. After hatching, the eggs grow quickly, reaching adult sizes within a year. Thus, continuing the cycle.

Have a wonderful day, everyone!

[heartnosekid]

a close encounter with a giant pacific octopus 🐙 | source

[m00nb04rd5]

Diss-Pair from the Splatoon franchise please?

Diss-Pair (Splatoon)

[squidbulborb]

Trying out some design concepts i had for a while. What do yall think of this one? Personally I really like her.

[pad-wubbo]

"giant pacific lump"

Infinite Painter.

It's a very lumpy giant Pacific octopus. Not much else to say.

CC-BY-SA 4.0

[dailycephalopods]

Pacific giant octopus

Daily Cephalopod #161

[dadaonice]

Bikinius Bottomus

[sonbat]

I remember that I once said that Takoyama is a common octopus but last time I started thinking that he's more like a giant pacific octopus.

Yes, I seriously think about characters' species

[pleistocene-pride]

The giant Pacific octopus, also known as the Northern Pacific giant octopus, is a large marine cephalopod belonging to the genus Enteroctopus. It can be found throughout the coastal waters of the North Pacific, along Continental United States, Canada, Alaska, Russia, Japan, and the Korean Peninsula from the intertidal zone down to 6,600 ft where prefers cold, oxygen-rich water. In the wild they typically feed upon shrimp, crabs, scallops, abalone, cockles, snails, clams, lobsters, fish, sea birds, small sharks, and other octopuses. The Pacific giant octopuses are themselves preyed upon by pacific sleeper sharks and various marine mammals including harbor seals, sea lions, sea otters, and sperm whales. Regularly reaching upwards of 110lbs in weight and sporting a radial arm span of some 20 feet in length the Giant Pacific octopus is far and away the largest known octopus species with some more questionable reports listing individuals of 32 feet in length and 300lbs in weight. Giant Pacific octopuses are commonly kept on display at aquariums due to their size and interesting physiology, and have demonstrated the ability to recognize humans that they frequently come in contact with. These responses include jetting water, changing body texture, and other behaviors that are consistently demonstrated to specific individuals. Giant Octopi are ranked amongst the most intelligent animals, and are known to solve simple puzzles, open childproof bottles and use tools even going so far as to open tank valves, disassemble expensive equipment, and generally wreak havoc in labs and aquaria. Some research even supports that they are capable of motor play, dreaming, forming friendships, and having distinct personalities. The giant Pacific octopus is considered to be long-lived compared to other octopi species, with living 3–5 years in the wild. To make up for its relatively short lifespan, the octopus is extremely prolific. It can lay between 120,000 and 400,000 eggs which are coated in chorion, and attached to a hard surface by the female. The spawn is intensively cared for exclusively by the female, who continuously blows water over it and grooms it to remove algae and other growths. While she fulfills her duty of parental care the female stays close to her spawn, never leaving to feed, leading to her death via starvation soon after the young have hatched. Hatchlings are about the size of a grain of rice their growth rate is quite rapid reaching maturity after just 1 to 2 years.