Fun Giant Pacific Octopus Facts For Kids

How fascinating life under the ocean is! The depths of marine waters hold many secrets. So many of them are yet to be discovered by humankind. But Homo sapiens are curious beings who like exploring every inch of space to every centimeter of the sea. This curiosity has led us to discover a unique, giant, predator of the sea, the Giant Pacific Octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini). These ocean-dwelling creatures have unique features that aid them in surviving the ghostly parts of deep waters. The giant Pacific octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) has been attributed the status of being the largest octopus species in the world.

The preferred prey for giant Pacific octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) includes other marine animals and they eat creatures like slams, crabs, fish, and shrimps. This fact file contains all about the giant Pacific octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini.

Afterward, do check out these blue-ringed octopus facts and mimic octopus facts as well.

What type of animal is a giant Pacific octopus?

The giant Pacific octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) is a large size species of octopus present in the Pacific Ocean. Its larger size, eight arms, and other unique features make it a member of the Entroctopodidae GENUS.

What class of animal does a giant Pacific octopus belong to?

These cephalopods are aquatic animals. More specifically, they are a member of class Cephalopoda of Kingdom Animalia. The Cephalopoda class falls under the phylum Mollusca, which are non-chordates. Their populations can be found from Alaska to Southern California.

How many giant Pacific octopuses are there in the world?

There are around 300 species of giant Pacific octopus known so far across Alaska to Southern California. These are capable of laying thousands of eggs at a time. But the harsh environment of ocean waters is a big challenge to survive in. Only about a percent of their young ones survive and live on to grow into adulthood and breed.

Where does a giant Pacific octopus live?

The giant Pacific octopus lives in the Pacific Ocean. The giant Pacific octopus habitat can be found along the coasts of southern California and Alaska in North America up to the Coast of Japan in Asia.

What is a giant Pacific octopus's habitat?

These giant Pacific cephalopods are capable of surviving in intertidal waters, in shallow pools up to a depth of 300 ft (91 m), and deep in the cooler areas of the ocean where the environment is rich in oxygen. These animals are benthic and are mostly found laying under the dens away from the eyes of a predator.

Who do giant Pacific octopuses live with?

A giant Pacific octopus is at peace with itself and prefers to be alone and camouflage itself from predators.  A female octopus may live with young ones for some time after laying eggs but apart from this, these octopuses dwell on their own.

How long does a giant Pacific octopus live?

The giant Pacific octopus does not have a very long lifespan. Giant Pacific octopus lifespan can extend between 3-5 years in the wild.

How do they reproduce?

After the giant Pacific octopus reproduction cycle, the female lays eggs under a shaded region on the ocean floor. These eggs have a protective covering called ‘Chiron’. The female octopus looks after them and usually dies in the process due to starvation. After six months, hatchlings about the size of wheat, come to life. Out of one lakh or so Giant Pacific Octopus hatchlings, only a few survive to reach adulthood.

What is their conservation status?

The giant Pacific octopus is not considered endangered or vulnerable, but climate change is a big threat to its existence. Global warming can reduce the amount of oxygen dissolved in the water, which in turn can make survival difficult for them and for other aquatic organisms.

What do giant Pacific octopuses look like?

A giant Pacific octopus is a mollusk, a soft-bodied organism. It has a large bulbous head with two shell plates in it. These octopuses are reddish pinkish and have eight long arms that sucker on them. Inside their head is a beak-like structure hidden for catching food and their body is laden with chromatophore cells that change color to camouflage.

How cute are they?

A giant octopus is rarely cute but mostly scary. This scary appearance is due to the unique physical features that aid them in shunning away from the predators and thus surviving the dangers of the ocean.

How do they communicate?

These are animals with high intelligence and have eight arms that can crawl, spread, and pick things up from their surroundings. Their body constantly communicates with the environment by changing color now and then to camouflage and hide from predators.

How big is a giant Pacific octopus?

The giant Pacific octopus's size makes it a big aquatic animal; the average giant Pacific octopus's length is up to 30 ft (9 m).

How fast can giant Pacific octopuses move?

These animals are pretty fast. Owing to the harsh environment of the ocean, they have developed fast instincts. They can swim with a speed equal to or greater than 60-75 mph (96-120 kph).

How much does a giant Pacific octopus weigh?

Hatchlings grow at a very fast rate and gain nearly 0.9% of their body weight each day. On reaching adulthood they may weigh around 44 lb (19 kg). The highest weight recorded to date is 156 lb (70 kg).  

What are the male and female names of the species?

The female is referred to as a hen and a male octopus has no separate name. Females are known as hens because of their ability to lay a large number of eggs at once.

What would you call a baby giant Pacific octopus?

Eggs of these octopuses are referred to as spawn and when they hatch out of it they are called hatchlings. Each hatchling is just about the size of a rice grain but grows into a heavy adult octopus.

What do they eat?

The giant Pacific octopus diet comprises marine invertebrates. Snails, shrimp, small octopuses, and other small fishes are all part of their diet. These octopuses first release venom to kill prey by injecting in them and later feast on their dead bodies with the help of a giant Pacific octopus beak of chitin located near the giant Pacific octopus mouth.

Giant Pacific octopus predators include sperm whales, sea otters, harbor seals, and Pacific sleeper sharks.

Are they dangerous?

These animals are fighters by instinct and almost all species of octopus have some amount of venom in them. When octopuses are attacked by a predator, they release a black toxin that kills them almost immediately. This concludes that these animals are dangerous by nature and could kill a human.

Would they make a good pet?

They are animals native to wild aquatic surroundings and are very big. To have them, you would require a really large tank, a lot of water, and a high-maintenance environment. So they are not good animals to pet.  

Did you know...

Just like other octopuses, the color of the giant Pacific octopus’s blood is blue due to hemocyanin which has copper in it. In captivity, these creatures can survive up to five years and require a minimum of 50 gallons of freshwater regularly for survival.

Giant Pacific octopus eyes are structurally similar to that of humans.

How does a giant Pacific octopus breathe?

The giant Pacific octopus breathes through the gills in their arms. These gills help the octopus to take in oxygen and later exhale through a tube named a siphon. If they breathe in and exhale too hard, they move backward due to jet propulsion.

How many eggs does the giant Pacific octopus lay?

A giant Pacific octopus lays up to 75,000 eggs. Unfortunately, only one percent of these survive to reach adulthood.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these coconut octopus facts, and jellyfish facts.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our octopus face coloring pages.