Enteroctopus dofleini

Giant Pacific Octopus:

Giant Pacific Octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini): The giant Pacific octopus is in a class of its own. Intelligent, inscrutable, and only seen a few times a year even by assiduous beachcombers, it is a creature worthy of respect.

Enteroctopus dofleini looks like a species from further south - Octopus rubescens - which is smaller, and has three small flaps under each eye. Those flaps are not obvious when the animal is out of the water.Also, Octopus rubescens doesn't have the "ridged" look of the giant Pacific Octopus. Rather, it looks reticulated, sometimes almost warty.

Often tiny specimens are found (after all, this species has upwards of a hundred thousand eggs). These may be confused with deeper-dwelling species, such as Benthoctopus leioderma and Rossia pacifica, but their tentacles are long and they are spotted with blotches of reddish brown. The giant Pacific octopus can weigh as much as an adult person, and measure 24 feet with its arms spread.

Local Notes

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References

Weblinks

• WoRMS page for Enteroctopus dofleini
• Invertebrates of Southeast Alaska page for Enteroctopus dofleini

• WoRMS Page for Enteroctopus dofleini
• Search Arctos Database for Enteroctopus dofleini (Southeast only)
• Search Arctos Database for Enteroctopus dofleini (entire database)
• Encyclopedia of Life search for Enteroctopus dofleini
• iNaturalist Observations for Enteroctopus dofleini in Southeast Alaska

Other References

• Lamb Hanby 2005
• Jorgensen 2009

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  Giant Pacific Octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini)

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