Common octopus

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The common octopus changes its colour and skin texture within moments to hide among rocks and seaweed. With arms about 1 m long, it hunts crabs and shellfish and is regarded as one of the most intelligent invertebrates.

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At a glance

Class: Molluscs
Lives in: Shallow rocky seabeds of the Mediterranean and E Atlantic
Diet: Meat eater (carnivore)
Length: about 1 m
Lifespan: up to about 2 years
Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN LC)
Habitat: coasts, coral reefs

Quick answers

Where does the Common octopus live?

It lives in coasts, coral reefs of the Atlantic Ocean. On the globe you can find it near Shallow rocky seabeds of the Mediterranean and E Atlantic.

How big is the Common octopus?

It grows to about 1 m.

What does the Common octopus eat?

Its diet: meat eater (carnivore).

How long does the Common octopus live?

It can live up to about 2 years.

Is the Common octopus endangered?

It is listed as Least Concern (IUCN LC).

The common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) is one of the most studied of all octopuses and one of the most intelligent invertebrates. It lives from the Mediterranean and the southern coast of England down to South Africa, and also around the Azores, the Canary Islands and Cape Verde. It is common in the western Atlantic too.

Its mantle is about 25 centimetres long, its arms reach 1 metre, and it lives only one to two years. In that short life it changes its colour and skin texture within moments to hide among rocks and seaweed. It hunts mostly at dusk and its favourite foods are crabs, lobsters and shellfish such as cockles.

A clever hunter

An octopus can break into the shell of a clam using its beak, and it also has venom to subdue prey. It can jump on a passing meal. A common octopus has about 500 million neurons, nearly as many as a dog. Tests show it can tell objects apart by brightness, size, shape and direction, find its way through mazes, recognise people, unscrew a jar and raid lobster traps.

Gardens and secrets

Octopuses have been seen keeping 'gardens' with algae, shells and rocks. Some people think this inspired the Beatles song Octopus's Garden. In 1986 the species became the first invertebrate protected by the UK's Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act. Genetic research shows that the 'common octopus' is really a complex of six species. Fishing is big: over 20,000 tonnes a year are caught off northwest Africa.

Fun facts

An octopus has three hearts and blue blood, and can change colour in a fraction of a second.
It has about 500 million neurons, nearly as many as a dog.
An octopus has three hearts and blue blood.
It lives for only one to two years.
It was the first invertebrate protected by an animal-testing law in the UK.