Common octopuses, octopus vulgaris, are quite the sight to behold. They measure 12 to 36 inches (30.5 to 91.4 centimeters) in length and weigh 6.6 to 22 pounds (3 to 10 kilograms). They have massive bulbous heads, large eyes as well as eight arms. Common octopuses have smooth skin that contains special pigment cells, which allow them to blend into their environment.
Common octopuses can be found in oceans all over the world. They tend to inhabit tropical, subtropical and temperate waters. Common octopuses are solitary creatures as well as territorial. They will make a den in a cavity or a burrow that they dig out themselves. They are considered highly intelligent as they have short term and long term memories. Once they have overcome an obstacle they will remember how to handle them again in the future.
The diet of common octopuses consists mainly of fish, crustaceans and bivalves. They are mostly nocturnal and do most of their hunting at night. They have been known to hunt during the day, but these hunting sessions are much shorter than they are at night. When a predator is detected, common octopuses have a variety of ways to deal with them. First, they will change their color to match their background, which will sometimes cause predators to swim right by without noticing them. If a predator does manage to find them, then the octopuses will shoot out a cloud of black ink that not only hinders their visibility, it also temporarily dulls their sense of smell. This provides common octopuses with a chance to escape without easily being tracked down again. If all else fails, they will simply squeeze into a crack or crevice that is too small for their attacker to follow.
Mating season for common octopuses takes place in early spring. Adults will move closer to the shore for mating. Males and females can mate with each other for several hours, but they will still mate with other partners. After a gestation period of around 2 months, females will release around 500,000 eggs. The mother will care for her eggs by cleaning them with the suckers on each of her tentacles, and providing them with oxygen by shooting them with streams of water as well as defending them from predators. The time it takes for the embryos to develop depends on the temperature. Shortly after the eggs hatch, the mother dies and the young ones are on their own. If the young common octopuses can make it to adulthood (only 1 or 2 out of every 200,000 will), they can live to be 1 to 2 years old.
Common octopuses are not considered threatened or endangered. They are a popular meal in Asian and Mediterranean cuisines actually. Hopefully, common octopuses never have to face the threat of extinction. After all, such a unique underwater animal deserves to live and prosper for many years to come.
Works Cited
“Common Octopus” 13 December 2010
“Common Octopus” 13 December 2010
“Common Octopus” 13 December 2010
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