Giant Pacific Octopus
Enteroctopus dofleini
The Giant Pacific Octopus is the largest species of octopus. On average, GPOs reach 16 feet in length and weigh 110 pounds. Each of its 8 arms may measure over 6 feet!
Range & Habitat
Giant Pacific Octopuses range throughout the temperate waters of the Pacific Ocean from southern California to Alaska, and west to the Aleutian Islands and Japan.
Diet
In the Wild -- shrimp, clams, lobsters, sharks, birds, crabs, smaller octopuses, scallops, abalones, moon snails, rockfish, flatfish, sculpins.
At the Zoo: smelt, herring, clams, scallops, shrimp, mussels.
Life Span
In the Wild – 3-5 years; In Human Care – 3-5 years.
Fun Facts about the Giant Pacific Octopus
- The only part of an octopus (or any cephalopod) that is not soft and pliable is its beak, a hard structure similar to a parrot’s beak that serves as its mouth.
- A 50-pound octopus can squeeze through a hole only 2 inches in diameter. If the beak fits, it can get through.
- Octopuses are about 90% muscle.
- Octopuses frequently lose an arm to predators, but it can grow back.
Sources
Aquarium of the Bay. (n.d.). Giant pacific octopus. Retrieved from http://aquariumofthebay.org/pages/detail/1443
ARKive. (n.d.). North pacific giant octopus (enteroctopus dofleini). Retrieved from http://www.arkive.org/north-pacific-giant-octopus/enteroctopus-dofleini/
Georgia Aquarium. (n.d.). Giant pacific octopus. Retrieved from http://www.georgiaaquarium.org/animalguide/georgia-pacificcoldwaterquest/giantpacificoctopus.aspx
Hartis, C. (2011). Enteroctopus dofleini. Retrieved from http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Enteroctopus_dofleini/
Lamon, P. (2011, September 1). Fun animal facts: giant pacific octopus. Retrieved from http://www.seattleaquarium.org/octopus
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries. (2012, August 17). Understanding the elusive giant pacific octopus. Retrieved from http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/stories/2012/08/08_17_2012_octopus_video.html
Smithsonian National Zoological Park. (n.d.). Giant pacific octopus. Retrieved from http://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/invertebrates/facts/cephalopods/factsheets/pacificoctopus.cfm
Updated December 3, 2020
Location:
Aquariums