Giant Pacific Octopus
Octopus dofleini
Description: Body plus longest arm 16’ (5 m) long. Globe-shaped, with 4 pairs of arms. Reddish or brownish, with fine black lines; color changeable. Arms 3-5 times body length, with 2 alternating rows of suckers; tubular siphon under neck. Head as broad as body, with eyes high on each side. Skin wrinkled and folded.
Habitat: On rocky shores, in tidepools; from low-tide line to water 1,650’ (503 m) deep.
Range: Alaska to s. California.
Discussion: This species is one of the largest known octopods, the heaviest on record weighing nearly 600 pounds (272 kg). It is fished commercially from Alaska to northern California. The Giant Pacific Octopus feeds on shrimps, crabs, scallops, abalones, clams, various fishes, and smaller octopods, and is eaten by seals, sea otters, sharks, and other large fishes.
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