#Giant pacific octopus

[dailycephalopods]

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

Daily Cephalopod #197

[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

[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]

DJ Octavio (Splatoon)

[squidbulborb]

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

[dadaonice]

Bikinius Bottomus

[thedailydescent]

Meet Ace, our new octopus!

Been with us for two weeks and will be released after two more, as she will be too big to be kept for longer (for reference, she’s currently 31 pounds, and Tanner was 23 by the time he was released)

[noncompliantcyborg]

trick or treat! mayhaps featuring cephalopods?

trick AND treat: This is a little paralarval giant pacific octopus I photographed back in 2021 named Hilda Doolittle (or maybe Emily Dickinson but I'm pretty sure its Hilda).

Though you can't see them, the outer surface of Hilda's body is covered in countless little chitinous tufts called Kölliker's organs, that she can puff out and retract. Eventually, she'd lose these little tufts before reaching adulthood. While scientists aren't yet certain of their purpose, Kölliker's organs have a huge impact on the surface area of paralarval octopus and may be used to leverage drag for more adept movement while the octopus is small. They estimate surface area is 2/3 greater when all Kölliker's organs are puffed out versus retracted.

[dailycephalopods]

Pacific giant octopus

Daily Cephalopod #161

[daily-crabbys]

Imposter crab 🦀

Today's crab is: something's not right here

[eurydike-on-media]

I may or may not be positively obsessed with the Seattle Aquarium and our friends there.

At the Seattle Aquarium, you can learn more about the local marine life as well as learn about conservation and research efforts. Through local collaboration and education, we can work towards lessening and possibly even reversing the harm we’ve done to our environment.

[wisegirlandseaweedbrainforever]

Scientists: Silly there's no such thing as sea serpents there's just *another gigantic horifying serpent like animal* but they are completely harmless.

Anyone with a brain: that's just a sea serpent with a name?...

[spinejackel]

the other octopus was chillin outside her hiding hole this morning