North Pacific Giant Octopus
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 E. dofleini at the New England Aquarium.
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| Enteroctopus dofleini (Wülker, 1910) |
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The North Pacific Giant Octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) is a large cephalopod belonging to the genus Enteroctopus. It can be found in the coastal Pacific Northwest and is arguably the largest octopus species, based on a scientific record of a 71 kg individual weighed live.[1] The alternative contender is the Seven-arm Octopus based on a 61 kg carcass estimated to have a live mass of 75 kg.[2][3] However, there are a number of questionable size records that would suggest it is the largest of all octopus species by a considerable margin.[4]
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[edit] Size and description
The North Pacific Giant Octopus, or the Giant Pacific Octopus, are distinguished from other species by its sheer size. Adults usually weigh around 15 kg (33 lb), with an arm span of up to 4.3 m (14 ft).[5] However, there are highly questionable records of specimens up to 272 kg (600 lb) in weight with a 9 m (30 ft) arm span.[6] The mantle, or "head", of the octopus is spherical in shape and contains most of the animal's major organs. The skin of the octopus is somewhat smooth and by contracting or expanding tiny pigments in its cells an octopus could change the color of its skin, giving it the ability to blend into the environment.
[edit] Intelligence
Giant Pacific Octopuses are considered to be extremely intelligent for an invertebrate, capable of solving complex puzzles. Among other things, some species of octopus have been reported to unscrew jar lids to retrieve food and mimic the behaviors of other octopuses (the latter claim is controversial).
[edit] Diet
This species of octopus commonly preys upon shrimp, crabs, scallops, abalones, clams, and fish. It procures food with its suckers, which is then crushed with its tough "beaks" of chitin. They have also been observed catching sharks [1].
[edit] Predators
Marine mammals such as the Harbor Seal, Sea Otter, and Sperm Whale depend upon the North Pacific Giant Octopus as a source of food. The octopus is also commercially fished in the United States.
[edit] Life span/reproduction
The North Pacific Giant Octopus is considered to be short-lived for an animal its size, with life spans that average only 3-5 years in the wild. To make up for its relatively short life span, the octopus is extremely prolific. It can lay up to 100,000 eggs which are intensively cared for by the females. Hatchlings are about the size of a grain of rice and only a handful make it to adulthood.
[edit] Conservation
Very little is known about the population of this solitary creature and the North Pacific Giant Octopus is not currently under the protection of CITES or the ICUN Redlist. However, this is an animal sensitive to water pollution and may depend upon conservation efforts for future survival.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Cosgrove, J.A. 1987. Aspects of the Natural History of Octopus dofleini, the Giant Pacific Octopus. M.Sc. Thesis. Department of Biology, University of Victoria (Canada), 101 pp.
- ^ O'Shea, S. 2004. The giant octopus Haliphron atlanticus (Mollusca : Octopoda) in New Zealand waters. New Zealand Journal of Zoology 31(1): 7-13.
- ^ O'Shea, S. 2002. Haliphron atlanticus — a giant gelatinous octopus. Biodiversity Update 5: 1.
- ^ Norman, M. 2000. Cephalopods: A World Guide. Hackenheim, ConchBooks, p. 214.
- ^ Smithsonian National Zoological Park: Giant Pacific Octopus
- ^ High, W.L. 1976. The giant Pacific octopus. U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service, Marine Fisheries Review 38(9): 17-22.
