Octopi, Octopuses, Octopedes, or Octopodes? It depends on who you ask. In Canada, the most common plural form of octopus is octopuses.
The giant Pacific octopus is the largest octopus species in the world. Octopuses have eight arms, nine brains, and three hearts—but that's not all that makes these creatures unique!
Octopuses have the greatest brain-to-body ratio of any invertebrate and display highly intelligent, complex behaviors. For example, giant Pacific octopuses in human care can recognize individual people! They can solve puzzles, open closed jars, unlock locks, use tools, and have even been known to escape from their enclosures!
Living mostly in solitude and with a territorial attitude, the giant Pacific octopus will spend most of their time in dens —small crevices and openings between rocks or corals.
The giant Pacific octopus can change color using specialized cells called chromatophores . These elastic pigment cells shift colours when stretched in different ways under the octopus’s skin. Octopuses are colour-blind, which makes it all the more fascinating how they change colours in one-tenth of a second to match their environments! Paired with the ability to alter the texture of their skin, these animals can mimic rocks, corals, and other marine life.
giant Pacific octopuses belong to the class cephalopoda, and produce ink and eject it through a body part called a siphon to deter and evade predators. Their ink is mostly made of melanin, the same pigment cells that give our own hair and skin their colours. Octopus ink is usually black, however, it can be brown, reddish or dark blue. Additionally, their ink contains a chemical called tyrosinase —which irritates eyes and causes a temporary loss of sense of smell. Potential predators or threats become disoriented when hit with a cloud of ink—giving the octopus time to jet away for a quick escape!
Lacking a protective outer shell, as seen in other molluscs these boneless, soft-bodied animals are 90% muscle and rely on speed, ink and camouflage to defend themselves in the natural environment.
Being carnivores, juvenile giant Pacific octopuses eat animals like snails and larval crabs. As they grow into adulthood, they become skilled, opportunistic hunters and consume whatever they can get their beaks on—eating fish, crabs, scallops, seabirds, and even other octopuses.
Using camouflage, quick movements with jet propulsion and suction cup grip to ambush and capture prey, the giant Pacific octopus will bring their catch back to their den. To break apart and open shells, they drill down with their parrot-like beak and use their saliva to soften the shell. Afterwards, octopuses will discard the empty shells into a pile outside of their den, called a midden. Their beaks are made of keratin and pack a venomous bite and are the only hard part of the octopus' body. This means that these animals can fit through anything as small as their beaks. A 22 kilogram (50 lbs) giant Pacific octopus can fit their entire body through a 5 cm (2 in) hole!
The three hearts of the octopus have specific functions. One circulates blood throughout the whole body, while the other two pump blood through the gills to gather oxygen. Octopuses have blue, copper-based blood—unlike human blood that is red and iron-based. This helps them breathe in cold and oxygen deprived environments, which is beneficial given the giant Pacific octopus enjoys waters at 15°C (59°F) or colder.
With nine brains, it is no wonder why these animals are so intelligent! One main brain in the shape of a donut, or a neural ring is synchronized with eight satellite brains—one in each arm. Octopuses have eight arms, not tentacles. The difference between the two is that an arm has suction cups from beginning to end, while a tentacle only has suckers at the end. Arms contain about 280 suckers each and are used for swimming, crawling, tasting, fighting, mating, hunting, and camouflage. When observing the movements of an octopus, you can see how each arm literally has a “mind” of its own!
The giant Pacific octopus can be found all over the Pacific waters. Reaching depths of up to 1500 meters (almost 5000 feet) as well as dwelling in tide pools, inhabiting the Pacific regions of Canada, Alaska, Japan, Mexico, and everywhere in between!
In many ecosystems, the giant Pacific octopus is what we call a keystone species. This means that they have a disproportionately larger impact on their habitat compared to their population size. As a domineering predator, they regulate the intricate structure of the food chain as well as complex environmental dynamics.
Due to their elusive nature, short lifespan of 3-5 years, and geographic distribution, it is difficult to know a population range for the giant Pacific octopus. That said, it is understood that they would face challenges with climate change such as warming water temperatures negatively affecting egg growth, loss of habitat, and scarce prey.
One of the best ways we can support the environment is to talk about the animals we love so much! Simply sharing a fun fact about the giant Pacific octopus is a great way to get the conversation going about conservation and sustainability.
It seems that the more we uncover about these animals the more we have to learn. Intelligent, unique and beautiful, giant Pacific octopus deserve all the hype they get. Come by Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada and get up close with our very own giant Pacific octopus yourself!
Julia Nalywaiko, Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada Educator
My name is Julia, and I am an Educator at Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada. I have always had a passion f…
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