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Information about North Pacific Giant Octopus

North Pacific Giant Octopus
Enlarge picture
E. dofleini observed off Pt Pinos at a depth of 65 meters.

E. dofleini observed off Pt Pinos at a depth of 65 meters.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Mollusca
Class:Cephalopoda
Order:Octopoda
Family:Octopodidae
Genus:Enteroctopus
Species:E. dofleini
Binomial name
Enteroctopus dofleini
(Wülker, 1910)
Synonyms
  • Octopus punctatus
    Gabb, 1862
  • Octopus dofleini
    Wülker, 1910
  • Polypus dofleini
    Wülker, 1910
  • Octopus dofleini dofleini
    (Wülker, 1910)
  • Polypus apollyon
    Berry, 1912
  • Octopus dofleini apollyon
    (Berry, 1912)
  • Polypus gilbertianus
    Berry, 1912
  • Octopus gilbertianus
    Berry, 1912
  • Octopus apollyon
    (Berry, 1913)
  • Octopus madokai
    Berry, 1921
  • Paroctopus asper
    Akimushkin, 1963
  • Octopus dofleini martini
    Pickford, 1964
Enlarge picture
E. dofleini at the New England Aquarium.


The North Pacific Giant Octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) is a large cephalopod belonging to the genus Enteroctopus. It can be found in the coastal Pacific Northwest and is arguably the largest octopus species, based on a scientific record of a 71 kg (156.5 lb) individual weighed live.[1] The alternative contender is the Seven-arm Octopus based on a 61 kg (134 lb) carcass estimated to have a live mass of 75 kg (165 lb).[2][3] However, there are a number of questionable size records that would suggest it is the largest of all octopus species by a considerable margin.[4]

Size and description

The North Pacific Giant Octopus, or the Giant Pacific Octopus, are distinguished from other species by their sheer size. Adults usually weigh around 15 kg (33 lb), with an arm span of up to 4.3 m (14 ft).[5] However, there are highly questionable records of specimens up to 272 kg (600 lb) in weight with a 9 m (30 ft) arm span.[6] The mantle, or "head", of the octopus is spherical in shape and contains most of the animal's major organs. The skin of the octopus is somewhat smooth and by contracting or expanding tiny pigments in its cells an octopus can change the color of its skin, giving it the ability to blend into the environment.

Intelligence

Giant Pacific Octopuses are considered extremely intelligent for invertebrates, capable of solving complex puzzles. Among other things, some species of octopus have been reported to unscrew jar lids to retrieve food and mimic the behaviors of other octopuses (the latter claim is controversial).

Diet

This species of octopus commonly preys upon shrimp, crabs, scallops, abalones, clams, and fish. It procures food with its suckers, which is then crushed with its tough "beaks" of chitin. They have also been observed catching sharks.[1]

Predators

Marine mammals such as the Harbor Seal, Sea Otter, and Sperm Whale depend upon the North Pacific Giant Octopus as a source of food. The octopus is also commercially fished in the United States.

Life span/reproduction

The North Pacific Giant Octopus is considered to be short-lived for an animal its size, with life spans that average only 3-5 years in the wild. To make up for its relatively short life span, the octopus is extremely prolific. It can lay up to 100,000 eggs which are intensively cared for by the females. Hatchlings are about the size of a grain of rice and only a handful make it to adulthood.

Conservation

Very little is known about the population of this solitary creature and the North Pacific Giant Octopus is not currently under the protection of CITES or the ICUN Redlist. However, this is an animal sensitive to water pollution and may depend upon conservation efforts for future survival.

See also

References

1. ^ Cosgrove, J.A. 1987. Aspects of the Natural History of Octopus dofleini, the Giant Pacific Octopus. M.Sc. Thesis. Department of Biology, University of Victoria (Canada), 101 pp.
2. ^ O'Shea, S. 2004. The giant octopus Haliphron atlanticus (Mollusca : Octopoda) in New Zealand waters. New Zealand Journal of Zoology 31(1): 7-13.
3. ^ O'Shea, S. 2002. Haliphron atlanticus — a giant gelatinous octopus. Biodiversity Update 5: 1.
4. ^ Norman, M. 2000. Cephalopods: A World Guide. Hackenheim, ConchBooks, p. 214.
5. ^ Smithsonian National Zoological Park: Giant Pacific Octopus
6. ^ High, W.L. 1976. The giant Pacific octopus. U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service, Marine Fisheries Review 38(9): 17-22.

External links

Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. Scientific classification also can be called scientific taxonomy, but should be distinguished from folk taxonomy, which lacks scientific basis.
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Mollusca
Linnaeus, 1758

Classes

Caudofoveata
Aplacophora
Polyplacophora
Monoplacophora
Bivalvia
Scaphopoda
Gastropoda
Cephalopoda
† Rostroconchia
† Helcionelloida
† ?Bellerophontida
The molluscs
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Cephalopoda
Cuvier, 1797

Orders

Subclass Nautiloidea
  • †Plectronocerida
  • †Ellesmerocerida
  • †Actinocerida
  • †Pseudorthocerida
  • †Endocerida
  • †Tarphycerida
  • †Oncocerida

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Octopoda
Leach, 1818

Suborders

†Pohlsepia (incertae sedis)
†Proteroctopus (incertae sedis)
†Palaeoctopus (incertae sedis)
Cirrina
Incirrina
Synonyms

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Octopodidae
Orbigny, 1840

Subfamilies and Genera
See text.

Subfamilies and species

  • Genus Vulcanoctopus
  • Deepsea Vent Octopus, Vulcanoctopus hydrothermalis
  • Subfamily

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Enteroctopus
Rochebrune & Mabille, 1889

Species

See text.

Enteroctopus is an octopus genus, many of whose members are sometimes known as giant octopuses. However, one member of this genus is extremely small in size.
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binomial nomenclature is the formal system of naming species. The system is also called binominal nomenclature (particularly in zoological circles), binary nomenclature (particularly in botanical circles), or the binomial classification system.
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In scientific nomenclature, synonyms are different scientific names used for a single taxon. Usage and terminology are different for zoology and botany.

Zoology

In zoological nomenclature, synonyms are different scientific names that pertain to the same taxon, for example
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Cephalopoda
Cuvier, 1797

Orders

Subclass Nautiloidea
  • †Plectronocerida
  • †Ellesmerocerida
  • †Actinocerida
  • †Pseudorthocerida
  • †Endocerida
  • †Tarphycerida
  • †Oncocerida

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Enteroctopus
Rochebrune & Mabille, 1889

Species

See text.

Enteroctopus is an octopus genus, many of whose members are sometimes known as giant octopuses. However, one member of this genus is extremely small in size.
..... Click the link for more information.
Octopoda
Leach, 1818

Suborders

†Pohlsepia (incertae sedis)
†Proteroctopus (incertae sedis)
†Palaeoctopus (incertae sedis)
Cirrina
Incirrina
Synonyms

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Alloposidae
Verrill, 1881

Genus: Haliphron
Steenstrup, 1861

Species: H.
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pigment is a material that changes the color of light it reflects as the result of selective color absorption. This physical process differs from fluorescence, phosphorescence, and other forms of luminescence, in which the material itself emits light.
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cephalopod intelligence is controversial; and controversy is further complicated by the challenges of studying these elusive creatures.

Classical conditioning of cephalopods has been reported, and one study (Fiorito and Scotto, 1992) even concluded that octopuses practice
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P. vitulina

Binomial name
Phoca vitulina
Linnaeus, 1758

Range of Phoca vitulina


This article is about the marine mammal.

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Enhydra
Fleming, 1828

Species: E. lutris

Binomial name
Enhydra lutris
(Linnaeus, 1758)


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Physeter

Species: P. macrocephalus

Binomial name
Physeter macrocephalus
Linnaeus, 1758


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Octopus wrestling involves a diver grappling with an octopus in shallow water and dragging it to the surface. Octopus wrestling was most popular in the coastal United States during the 1960s.
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Size has been one of the most interesting aspects of cephalopod science to the general public. This article lists the largest cephalopods from various groups, sorted in order of mantle length, total length, weight, and shell diameter. Extinct taxa are also included.
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This article is copied from an article on Wikipedia.org - the free encyclopedia created and edited by online user community. The text was not checked or edited by anyone on our staff. Although the vast majority of the wikipedia encyclopedia articles provide accurate and timely information please do not assume the accuracy of any particular article. This article is distributed under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License.
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