Octopus Facts
The common octopus is a mollusk in the cephalopod class, a clever ocean hunter that can shift its color to match its surroundings and pounce on prey.
- Class
- Mollusk
- Scientific name
- Octopus vulgaris
- Conservation status
- Least concern (IUCN)
About the octopus
Found along the eastern Atlantic from southern England to South Africa, plus the Mediterranean and Black seas, Octopus vulgaris also turns up around the Azores, the Canary Islands and the Cape Verde Islands, and across the Western Atlantic. Its mantle reaches about 25 cm (10 inches), but the arms can stretch to 1 m (3.3 feet), and a big one may weigh 9 kg (20 pounds). It lives only 1 to 2 years.
Dusk is hunting time. Crabs, lobsters and cockles top the menu, though almost anything it grabs will do. A hard beak cracks open shells, and venom calms struggling prey. With roughly 500 million neurons, close to a dog's count, this octopus can solve mazes, tell people apart and twist the lid off a jar. Some even gather shells, rocks and algae into little seafloor "gardens."
Did you know?
- In the UK, it was the first invertebrate protected under a 1986 law on scientific procedures.
- Genetic studies now treat Octopus vulgaris as a complex of six closely related species tied to different coastlines.
- Trawlers off northwestern Africa haul in more than 20,000 tonnes of common octopus every year.
Questions about the octopus
Where does the common octopus live?
It lives in tropical, subtropical and temperate seas around the world, favoring shallow, rocky coastal bottoms.
Is the common octopus endangered?
No. The species is listed as least concern.
Sources
- Wikidata Q651361, checked October 8, 2026
- Wikipedia: Common octopus, checked October 8, 2026
Facts are compiled from these open sources and rewritten in our own words. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.