Animal Spotlight

Giant Pacific Octopus

Enteroctopus dofleini

Jennifer Rawlings | Aquarium Curator

CONSERVATION STATUS

Least Concern Near Threatened Vulnerable Endangered Critically Endangered

Extinct in the Wild

Where on Earth?

Coastal habitat, among rocky areas and pilings. Can be found in a wide range of depths, from shallow waters down to 6,000 feet or greater, in the cold, coastal waters of the Northern Pacific: Korea, Japan, Canada, the United States and Mexico.

Measuring Up

Arm span of 7 to 13 feet, weighing up to 50 pounds or more

What’s for Dinner?

Crabs, mussels, clams, shrimp, clams, fish and squid

Digs at the Zoo

The soon-to-open Darnall W. and Susan F. Boyd Aquarium & Reptile Conservation Center will house the first giant Pacific octopus at Riverbanks in over five years.

Zoo’s Who?

Riverbanks has plans to acquire a giant Pacific octopus. The species is naturally solitary.

Did You Know?

The giant Pacific octopus is highly adapted to its environment and a true master of camouflage. Its skin has the amazing ability to change both color and texture to blend into its habitat. Special cells called chromatophores allow the skin to quickly change color, from very light white to very dark red in a fraction of a second. Additionally, its skin can change texture rapidly, from being completely smooth to frilly and bumpy, to mimic its surroundings.

Weird but True

Planning for a giant Pacific octopus to return to Riverbanks has been exciting! We created a new, larger habitat that has been designed specifically for this species to thrive. The rockwork was designed to give the octopus choice in its environment, whether it wants to approach the window to meet a visitor or hang out in a den for some quiet time. The larger habitat also gives us the opportunity to add other species to the exhibit, such as anemones and sea urchins, thereby providing a very complex environment that more closely resembles that of an ocean-dwelling octopus and provides excellent enrichment.

CONSERVATION CONNECTION

Giant Pacific octopus populations are naturally resilient. Each female octopus can lay an average of 50,000 eggs, and while they don’t all make it to maturity, the populations remain stable. Octopus is a popular food in Mediterranean and Asian diets, and some octopuses are caught as bycatch in Alaskan fisheries. Riverbanks supports responsible seafood consumption and fishing practices by being a Conservation Partner with the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch Program. To learn more about sustainable seafood and how you can support healthy octopus populations, visit seafoodwatch.org and download the app today.