The largest octopus, weighing an impressive 70.7 kg (156 lbs) and with an arm span the length of a car, the Giant Pacific Octopus (Enteroctopus Dofleini) is one big cephalopod! Let’s find out how these shy and solitary giant ocean creatures can get into all kinds of mischief at aquariums. We’ve got lots of Giant Pacific Octopus facts for you today! So let’s dive in!
Found on the northern part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, the world’s largest octopus makes its home in the waters of California, up the coast to Alaska, and over to Russia, Japan, and Korea.
One element all these places need for a Giant Pacific Octopus to call it home: cool, richly oxygenated waters. Kelp forests, rocky reefs, shallow tidal pools, and depths down to 100 meters (330 feet) are just some of the marine environments you might find a GPO.
While most warm-water species of octopus live 12-18 months, the GPO’s life spans 3 to 5 years. Typically, a reddish-brown color, GPO fades to light or marbled pink when they are relaxed or sleeping…
Did you know The Giant Pacific Octopus is referred to as GPO by cephalopod enthusiasts? That’s just one of the awesome facts we are sharing today!
With so many of you asking us questions about the Giant Pacific Octopus on our Facebook and Instagram posts, we wanted to share some more fun facts about this playful octopus.
Doing some quick math, that is 2,240 suckers for ONE octopus!! That is 2,240 extraordinarily complex sensory suction cups that can taste, smell, and grab.
Larger suckers near the beak and mouth can hold up to 16 kg (35 lbs)!
In theory, the GPO could hold up a cinder block, 7 computer monitors, or a four-year-old. Of course, they choose to use this strength to pry open clams, crabs, and other sea life who don’t really stand a chance once those big suckers get ahold of them.
Copper-based blue blood may not be unique to the GPO, but it helps them extract oxygen from the colder waters they inhabit.
Unlike humans with iron-based blood (the hemoglobin makes it red), octopuses have copper-based blood with hemocyanin to transport oxygen around their bodies.
Did you know GPOs prefer alone time? They make themselves cozy dens within rock crevices where they hang out most of the day, only leaving at night to find food. Once they are ready to mate, they eventually leave their den in search of love.
Beyond that, the GPO is the ultimate ‘Netflix and Chill’ octopus, preferring their den to any cephalopod social gatherings.
Ready for the hunt!
When they get a little rumble in their belly, the GPO will leave its den and crawl around the reef using the tips of its arms to probe into areas where prey might be.
Since their amazing suckers can taste and smell, they don’t need to be looking at their food to know what it is.
Variety of mollusks And other octopuses
Once a GPO has dinner in its grasp, it drags it back to its lair to enjoy its meal in peace. They scatter the remains of their meal outside their den, which can give you a good idea of what they eat.
If they are feeling extra ambitious, the Giant Pacific Octopus will attack small sharks and even birds!! GPOs have become viral sensations when videos emerged of one drowning a seagull and more recently tussling with a bald eagle (who eventually was saved by fishermen!)
After just two weeks of this, the octopuses would approach the meal keeper but hid away when the meat keeper came around.
Mama GPO gives it all up for her babies
The female GPO can lay up to 74,000 eggs. For about 6 months, she stays with her strings of eggs, protecting them, cleaning them, and making sure they get plenty of oxygen.
During this time, she never leaves them, eventually dying of starvation after completing her life goal of passing on her genetic material.
Newly hatched GPO larvae, no larger than a grain of rice, float to the surface where they drift on ocean currents living in their planktonic stage for 30 to 90 days.
Being at the surface makes them very vulnerable to predators, so many don’t make it past this initial life phase.
The lucky ones eventually settle onto the seafloor, where they start rapidly growing. They will increase their body weight by 1% per day – which helps their survival rates immensely. Once it’s the mighty full-grown GPO, it only has the very big ocean beings to worry about like sea lions, otters, and sperm whales!
One central brain to make the big octopus life decisions like ‘what’s the best neighborhood for a den?’ or ‘that bald eagle looks tasty let’s go have some hunting fun’. LOL (have you seen that video on our Instagram yet?)
The smaller brains are a cluster of neurons (called ganglia) that let the octopus control each of their arms and take in a bunch of sensory information without overloading the boss (main brain).
This allows them to stick their arm in a hole, taste a mussel and decide to grab it all without bothering the main brain!
It’s main brain is probably preoccupied looking around for predators or its next meal item!
