Common Octopuses, Common Octopus Pictures, Common Octopus Facts

The common octopus can change its appearance to hide from predators—and prey.

Photograph by David Doubilet

Map

Common Octopus Range

Audio

Fast Facts

Type:: Invertebrate
Diet:: Carnivore
Average life span in the wild:: 1 to 2 years
Size:: 12 to 36 in (30.5 to 91.4 cm)
Weight:: 6.6 to 22 lbs (3 to 10 kg)
Did you know?: Common octopuses will collect crustacean shells and other objects to construct fortresses, or "gardens," around their lairs.
Size relative to a 6-ft (2-m) man:

The common octopus would be unique for its appearance alone, with its massive bulbous head, large eyes, and eight distinctive arms. But by far the most striking characteristic of the octopus is the wide array of techniques it uses to avoid or thwart attackers.

Its first—and most amazing—line of defense is its ability to hide in plain sight. Using a network of pigment cells and specialized muscles in its skin, the common octopus can almost instantaneously match the colors, patterns, and even textures of its surroundings. Predators such as sharks, eels, and dolphins swim by without even noticing it.

When discovered, an octopus will release a cloud of black ink to obscure its attacker's view, giving it time to swim away. The ink even contains a substance that dulls a predator's sense of smell, making the fleeing octopus harder to track. Fast swimmers, they can jet forward by expelling water through their mantles. And their soft bodies can squeeze into impossibly small cracks and crevices where predators can't follow.

If all else fails, an octopus can lose an arm to escape a predator's grasp and regrow it later with no permanent damage. They also have beaklike jaws that can deliver a nasty bite, and venomous saliva, used mainly for subduing prey.

Considered the most intelligent of all invertebrates, the common octopus is found in the tropical and temperate waters of the world’s oceans. They can grow to about 4.3 feet (1.3 meters) in length and weigh up to 22 pounds (10 kilograms), although averages are much smaller. They prey on crabs, crayfish, and mollusks, and will sometimes use their ink to disorient their victims before attacking.

Invertebrate Videos

Other Tentacled Sea Creatures

Invertebrate Features

Coral

It's reef madness in this colorful gallery of coral formations.
Photo Gallery: Coral Reefs

About 80 percent of all life on Earth is found in the oceans, which cover 71 percent of the planet's surface. Take a look at how colorful life under the sea can be.
Lobster

Learn more about these popular crustaceans that some think of only as a meal. Find out the sizes that these sea creatures are capable of attaining.
Sea Cucumber

Learn how these amazing echinoderms deter predators by snaring them with sticky threads and even hurling their internal organs about.

Please select a test to run

On Nat Geo WILD

TV Schedule »

Animal News

Animals

The Innovators Project

Alan Guth: Waiting for the Big Bang

Three decades ago, the innovative physicist had a eureka moment that explained the universe.

See more innovators »

Special Ad Section

Animal News

From the Magazine

Gannets Pictures

Champion divers but clumsy landers, doting parents but hostile neighbors—northern gannets abound in contradictions.
Estonia's Ural Owls

Photographer Sven Začek provides an intimate view of this large raptor.