Octopuses are intelligent, can change color and have excellent eyesight. They are

also very strong. Using their eight arms, large giant Pacific octopuses can move

more than 700 pounds.

Size  Up to 20 feet from tip to tip of outstretched arm, and up to 150 pounds

Diet  Fishes, shrimps, crabs, scallops, clams and other shellfishes

Lifespan  1-5 years

Range  Northern Pacific Ocean, from Alaska through California

Habitat  Rocky areas, caves and kelp forests, from the shores to depths
of more than 500 feet

Predators  Adults' predators include wolf eels, halibut, seals and otters.

Young octopuses are hunted by many animals, including marine mammals.

Relatives  They don’t have a hard shell, but octopuses are in the mollusk family,

which means they are related to clams, mussels, oysters, squid and nautilus.

Family life  Adult female giant Pacific octopuses lay up to 75,000 eggs in small caves. There, the female defends her eggs until they are ready to hatch, which can take up to six months. The hatchlings then drift in ocean currents for several months, after which they drop to the seafloor, where they hide in caves and rock crevices. It only takes about a year for a giant Pacific octopus to be old enough to breed.

Conservation status  Stable  The giant Pacific octopus is very adaptable, which means that it is able to resist the effects of human-caused threats, including overfishing, bycatch and habitat destruction.

Explore other profiles   Check out lionfishes, moon jellies, sand tiger sharks and green sea turtles.