Common Octopus

This incredibly fascinating cephalopod is known for being very intelligent and a bit of an escape artist. You can find our octopus in our tropical treasures area next to the seahorses! 

Introducing the common octopus

The common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) is part of the Octopodidae family, and is a soft-bodied mollusc characterised by its eight sucker-lined arms, remarkable intelligence and unmatched ability to change colour and texture in an instant.

For a long time it was thought to be a single species found across the world’s temperate and tropical seas.

Key appearance features

The common octopus has a bulbous mantle housing its organs, three hearts and blue, copper-based blood. Its eight arms each carry two rows of suckers, and can reach an overall span of around a metre in larger adults, with animals typically weighing between 3 and 10kg.

Specialised skin cells called chromatophores, backed by reflective iridophores and leucophores, allow it to shift from sandy mottled brown to deep red or ghostly white in under a second. 

Habitat and behaviours

The common octopus can be found on shallow sea beds around the eastern atlantic and mediterranean. They use their flexible bodies to hide in rock crevices and often barricade the entrance with stones and shells. Octopuses tend to live alone and are most active at dawn, dusk and through the night. They also have a surprisingly short life span, typically living for only one to two years on average with females dying shortly after laying their eggs. 

Diet and hunting techniques

The common octopus feeds on a mixture of crustaceans and molluscs including crabs, lobsters, bivalves, sea snails and the occasional fish. Octopus are active foragers, probing the seafloor with its arms and identifying prey by feel and taste. One they have identified their prey, they trap it beneath them and use their beak to subdue it with paralysing saliva.