NL·0433Herbarium of the Nature Library
- Name
- Enteroctopus dofleini
- Family
- Enteroctopodidae
- Native to
- Temperate North Pacific, from Japan and Korea through the Russian Far East and Aleutians to Alaska, British Columbia and California
- Habitat
- Rocky reef, Kelp forest, Continental shelf
Giant Pacific octopus
Enteroctopus dofleini
Also calledMizudako (Japanese) · Daemuneo (Korean) · Gigantskiy osminog (Russian) · Pulpo gigante (Spanish)
The largest octopus in the world, with an arm span that can reach about 4 m. Clever and curious, it lives only 3–5 years, and a female dies after guarding her eggs for half a year without eating.
The giant Pacific octopus, also known as the North Pacific giant octopus, is a large marine cephalopod belonging to the genus Enteroctopus and Enteroctopodidae family. Wikipedia
What it can do
- iLargest octopus species; adults commonly 10–50 kg
- iiChanges skin colour and texture in a fraction of a second
- iiiCaptive individuals recognise and respond differently to particular people
- ivCan squeeze through any gap larger than its beak
- vEach sucker can taste and grip independently
In the field
Field marks
- aVery large octopus, reddish-brown when relaxed
- bWrinkled, folded skin with small flap-like papillae
- cPaddle-shaped papillae near the eyes
- dPiles of crab shells and clam shells (a 'midden') outside the den
- Not to be confused with
- East Pacific red octopus (Octopus rubescens) is much smaller (rarely over 0.5 kg) with three eyelash-like papillae under each eye. Large size alone usually identifies the giant Pacific.
- Where to see it
- Cold-water dive sites in Puget Sound and British Columbia (e.g. Browning Pass, Seattle's Seacrest Park); public aquariums.
- When
- Year-round
Life & habits
- Diet
- Crabs, clams, scallops, snails, fish and occasionally sharks and seabirds
- Habitat
- Rocky dens from the intertidal zone down to around 2,000 m
- Size
- Typically 10–50 kg with an arm span of up to about 4 m; verified records reach about 70 kg
- Lifespan
- About 3–5 years
A brooding female hangs strings of up to tens of thousands of eggs from her den roof and cleans and aerates them for about six months before dying soon after they hatch.
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Native range
Temperate North Pacific, from Japan and Korea through the Russian Far East and Aleutians to Alaska, British Columbia and California
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the old herbals & bestiaries
No plate in the Source Library names this exact species, so these show its closest relatives as the old naturalists drew them: same genus, or the same kind of animal. Click a plate to read the page it came from, with translation.
The Hieroglyphics
Relative · Horapollo · 1551 · p.247
Hokusai Manga (北斎漫画), Vol. 1
Relative · Katsushika Hokusai · 1814 · p.23
The Hieroglyphics
Relative · Horapollo · 1551 · p.246
History of Animals, Book II: On Oviparous Quadrupeds
Relative · Conrad Gessner · 1586 · p.558
Books on Marine Fishes
Relative · Guillaume Rondelet · 1554 · p.537
The Pagan World and the Origin of its Gods
Relative · Herold, Johann · 1554 · p.870
History of Animals, Book II: On Oviparous Quadrupeds
Relative · Conrad Gessner · 1586 · p.559
Hōrou Apollōnos Neilōou Hieroglyphika eklekta = : Hori Apollinis selecta hieroglyphica, sive sacrae notae Aegyptiorum, & insculptae imagines
Relative · Horapollo · 1597 · p.246
Hōrou Apollōnos Neilōou Hieroglyphika eklekta = : Hori Apollinis selecta hieroglyphica, sive sacrae notae Aegyptiorum, & insculptae imagines
Relative · Horapollo · 1597 · p.247
The Pagan World and the Origin of its Gods
Relative · Herold, Johann · 1554 · p.870
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Enteroctopus dofleini in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
Marginalia
It is named after Franz Doflein, a German zoologist who studied the marine life of Japan around 1904–05. In Hokkaido it has long been caught in traditional octopus pots.
Curiosity
About two-thirds of its nerve cells lie in its arms rather than its brain, so each arm can taste, grip and react partly on its own.
Kinship
Photographs: iNaturalist contributors under the licences shown. Records: GBIF.org. Historical plates: Source Library (CC BY-SA 4.0; originals public domain). Summary text: Nature Library editors and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Medicinal and edibility notes are historical and educational, not advice. iNaturalist taxon 48863.