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Giant Pacific Octopus
Giant Pacific octopus, a prominent figure in ancient seafaring tales, is not just a myth. In 2004, Japanese researchers captured the first images of a living giant Pacific octopus, confirming its existence.
The giant Pacific octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) belongs to the family Enteroctopodidae, genus Enteroctopus. It is the largest species of octopus. The species was described by German zoologist Gerhard Wülker (Gerhard Wülker, 1885–1930) in 1910.
Giant Pacific octopuses are found in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean, in the seas of Japan, Okhotsk, and Bering, as well as along the Pacific coast from northern Alaska to southern Japan, from the tropics to the subarctic zone. They inhabit depths from the coastal zone to 800 meters, sometimes reaching depths of up to 1500 meters. The giant Pacific octopus, as a species, is distributed from Japan and the Korean Peninsula to the southern part of Sakhalin Island, including the Kuril Islands, Kamchatka, the Commander Islands, and the Aleutian Islands. Currently, there is a decline in the number of males and large females.
The weight of the giant Pacific octopus varies from 2 to 10 kg. Large individuals up to 150 cm in length weigh approximately 30 kg. There are examples of individuals weighing up to 50 kg and measuring up to 3 meters in length. According to some data, individuals up to 9 meters in length are sometimes encountered. The maximum recorded weight is 198.2 kg. Females are usually larger than males. The radial spread of arms can reach up to 9.8 meters. The body is round or oval, wrinkled, covered with isolated warts. The distance between the farthest points of the eyes is equal to or greater than half the length of the body (measured from its end to the line connecting the centers of the eyes).
They are not found in the open ocean. Rocky shores of coastal areas are their characteristic habitat. Octopuses usually hide in caves, crevices, among rocks. During the breeding season, they are found in all types of water bodies. They are often observed on the border of rocky and sandy shores, less frequently in sandy and pebble deep bays. Far from the shore, they inhabit sandy, pebble, and muddy deep-sea areas. They can use wide bays with fine sand as a shelter.
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