Octopus is the largest genus of octopuses, comprising about 100 species. These species are widespread throughout the world's oceans. Many species formerly placed in the genus Octopus are now assigned to other genera within the family. The octopus has 8 arms, averaging 20 cm (8 in) long for an adult.
Amphioctopus marginatus, also known as the coconut octopus and veined octopus, is a medium-sized cephalopod belonging to the genus Amphioctopus. It is found in tropical waters of the western Pacific Ocean. It commonly preys upon shrimp, crabs, and clams, and displays unusual behavior including bipedal and quadrupedal walking as well as tool use.
The pharaoh cuttlefish is a large cuttlefish species, growing to 42 cm in mantle length and 5 kg in weight.
Euprymna hyllebergi, the Thai bobtail squid is a species of squid belonging to the family Sepiolidae and is native to the eastern Indian Ocean. It is commonly found in the Andaman Sea of Thailand and in the Gulf of Thailand. E. hyllebergi can grow up to 35mm in mantle length and can be found in depths as low as 74m. The Thai bobtail squid is covered in chromatophores, which are pigmented cells that can expand or contract and are used to camouflage the squid. The normal lifespan of the Thai bobtail squid is between 92 and 122 days for males and between 80 and 113 days for females.
Octopus cyanea, also known as the big blue octopus or day octopus, is an octopus in the family Octopodidae. It occurs in both the Pacific and Indian Oceans, from Hawaii to the eastern coast of Africa. O. cyanea grows to 16 cm in mantle length with arms to at least 80 cm. This octopus was described initially by the British zoologist John Edward Gray in 1849; the type specimen was collected off Australia and is at the Natural History Museum in London.
Amphioctopus is a genus of octopuses comprising around 16 species.
Octopus aquaculture describes the captive-raising of octopuses and commercial sale of their meat. A complex and labor-intensive form of farming, octopus aquaculture is being driven by strong market demand in the Mediterranean and in South American and Asian countries. Annual global demand for octopus more than doubled from 1980 to 2019, from roughly 180,000 to about 370,000 tons. The supply of octopus has been constrained by overfishing in many key fisheries and proponents of farming suggest human-induced culturing could help restock natural populations. Opponents of the nascent industry argue that cephalopod intelligence and emotional capacity, as well as the solitary and carnivorous character of octopuses, make them particularly ill-suited to intensive, captive breeding. Commercial sale may stimulate market demand, hastening rather than offsetting the decline in wild stocks. An announcement that a Spanish firm would begin octopus aquaculture as early as 2022 prompted ethical and scientific controversy.
Eledone massyae, the combed octopus, is a small benthic octopus found off the Atlantic coasts of southern South America, particularly Argentina and southern Brazil.
Eledone gaucha is a species of octopus from the southern Atlantic Ocean. It is a predator of fish, crabs, lobsters and molluscs.
Abdopus aculeatus is a small species of octopus in the order Octopoda. It has the common name algae octopus due to its typical resting camouflage, which resembles a gastropod shell overgrown with algae. It is small in size with a mantle around the size of a small orange and arms 25 cm in length, and is adept at mimicking its surroundings.
Octopus tetricus, the gloomy octopus, the common Sydney octopus, or the peachy octopus, is a species of octopus from the subtropical waters of eastern Australia and northern New Zealand. O.tetricus belongs to the Octopus vulgaris species group. All species within the O. vulgaris group are similar in morphology, behaviour, and physiology. The English translation of O. tetricus (Latin) is 'the gloomy octopus'. It is a significant species in the fishing industry in Australia. They play an important role in energy flux between trophic levels in the marine environment.
Octopus minor, also known as the long arm octopus or the Korean common octopus, is a small-bodied octopus species distributed along the benthic coastal waters bordering China, Japan, and the Korean Peninsula. It lives at depths ranging from 0 to 200 metres. O. minor is commonly found in the mudflats of sub-tidal zones where it is exposed to significant environmental variation. It is grouped within the class Cephalopoda along with squids and cuttlefish.
Wunderpus photogenicus, the wunderpus octopus, is a small-bodied species of octopus with distinct white and rusty brown coloration. 'Wunderpus' from German "wunder" meaning 'marvel or wonder'.
Octopus oliveri, is a species of octopus found in the western Pacific Ocean off the coast of Japan, Hawaii, and Kermadec Island, in reefs and boulder coasts.
Octopus sinensis is a mollusk belonging to the class Cephalopoda. Octopus sinensis is a well-known shallow-water benthic octopus species found in the coastal, temperature waters of South Korea, China, and Japan, with the species name, sinensis being Latin for Chinese. Octopus sinensis is closely related to the Atlantic and Mediterranean common octopus, Octopus vulgaris. Because of the morphological similarities, O. sinensis was considered synonymous with Octopus vulgaris until 2017. Octopus sinensis are carnivores that prey upon on many shallow-water animals such as crustaceans and mollusks.
Octopus californicus is an octopus in the family Octopodidae. It is provisionally assigned to the genus Octopus, but some scholars have concluded it belongs in other genera. O. californicus was first documented by S. Stillman Berry in 1911.
Octopus australis is a species of octopus. It gets the common name hammer octopus from a modified arm possessed by males and used in reproduction. It was first described by William Evans Hoyle in 1885, based on a specimen found in Port Jackson in New South Wales.
Octopus conispadiceus is a species of long-ligula octopus, provisionally placed in the genus Octopus. It was first described by Madoka Sasaki in 1917 based on specimens bought at a fish market in Sapporo, Japan.
Abdopus abaculus, or the mosaic octopus, is a species of pygmy octopus. It was first described as Octopus abaculus by M. D. Norman and M. J. Sweeney in 1997 based on specimens caught in Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines.
Octopus hubbsorum, is an octopus in the family Octopodidae. It is commonly found along tropical waters along the central Pacific Coast of Mexico. Here, they are one of the most commonly caught cephalopods and are commercially extremely important for the economy.
