WHATSTHATFISH
Octopus & squid

Common Octopus

Octopus vulgaris

Also known as: Common Atlantic Octopus, Common Reef Octopus, Reef Octopus, Scuttle, Small Common Octopus

LCLeast ConcernIUCN Red List, 2018
Adult
@fishx6 · Bonaire - Small Wall, Caribbean Netherlands · November 20101 / 21
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Overview

Found singly, in their lairs, or foraging for food over mud, rock, and sandy bottoms, of coastlines, to the edge of the continental shelf. Changing colour to match their surroundings.
Widespread Circumglobal

This octopus is harvested off the north western coast of Africa as many as 20,000 tonnes annually.

Octopus make their homes in holes in the reef or bury in the sand.
They can often be found by the tell tail debris outside the holes.
Octopus feed by grabbing their prey with their tentacles or by spreading their skirt (the webbing between their tentacles) over the reef and hoovering up underneath.
They have a beak for biting their prey, the bite quickly paralyses their prey.
Some of the smaller Octopus are venomous to humans.

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How to identify

COLOURS
Pattern
blotches

Tap any trait to see other fish that share it.

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Habitat & where to find it

  • Range · Worldwide
  • Exact location · 1
  • Country only · 20
LIVES IN

Found singly, in their lairs, or foraging for food over mud, rock, and sandy bottoms, of coastlines, to the edge of the continental shelf.

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Adult photos 21

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Discussion

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    ALL STAGES
    FOR THE MARINE-BIOLOGY CURIOUS

    Deep dive

    Taxonomy

    1. kingdomAnimalia
    2. phylumMollusca
    3. classCephalopoda
    4. orderOctopoda
    5. familyOctopodidae
    6. genusOctopus
    7. speciesOctopus vulgaris Cuvier, 1797

    SourcesWoRMSWikipedia

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    More in the family

    Octopuses (Octopodidae)