Sea creature
Octopus
Scientific name: Octopus vulgaris
This is an octopus. It has eight arms!
Quick facts
- Size
- Length: 30–91 cm (12–36 in)
- Weight
- 3–10 kg (6.6–22 lb)
- Lives for
- 1–2 years
- Food
- Meat eater
- Awake
- Active at night
- In the wild
- Least concern
- There are lots of them in the wild.
All about the Octopus
The common octopus is a clever sea animal with a soft body and eight long arms. It lives along rocky coasts, hides in its den during the day and goes hunting at night. In a flash, it can change its color and skin to match its surroundings.
Fun facts
One star is easy, three stars are for big explorers.
- Easy
An octopus can change its color to hide.
- Medium
An octopus squirts dark ink to escape from danger.
- Medium
An octopus can squeeze through any hole that is bigger than its beak.
- Hard
The octopus is thought to be the smartest animal without a backbone.
- Hard
A mother octopus guards her eggs, keeps them clean and blows water over them until they hatch.
Where does it live?
The coloured places on the map show where the Octopus lives in the wild.
- Atlantic Ocean
- Indian Ocean
- Pacific Ocean
What does the Octopus eat?
- ShellfishFavourite food
Play and learn
Games with this animal and its friends.
