Class: Cephalapoda

Order: Octopoda

Scientific Name: Octopus dofleini

Range: North Pacific

Habitat: Mainly in rocks and among stones

Diet: Wild: Crabs, bivalves, gastropods Zoo: Shrimp, lobster & crab

Gestation: Incubation: Up to three months

Litter: Clutch: 20 to 30 thousand

Description: This is the largest known species of octopus. The mantle length can be up to 23.5 inches, and the overall length from 9.8 to 16.4 feet. Weight can range from 60 pounds to 100 pounds. Normal coloration is reddish-brown. However, they can change color and alter the texture of their skin. Experts at camouflage, they can smooth out and be a uniform color when on rock, and become bumpy and blotchy in seaweed. Between its arms are webs of skin, and when they capture prey they hug it tightly, bite it, then soften it up with digestive enzymes. The octopus has no bones, so it can squeeze itself into tiny places, sometimes only a few centimeters wide. The size of its beak, the only rigid part of the body, determines where it can fit. They are not known to maintain a large territory. An individual will often frequent the same den over a long period of time. They stay in their dens for regular rest times, then go out to hunt for food. They are solitary animals, and interact with their own kind only to mate. They prefer to crawl along on the ocean floor, but when they need to move quickly they suck water into their body and shoot it out through a special tube, thrusting themselves thought the water. When threatened they shoot ink at their enemies. This ink can take on the shape of a decoy octopus as it spread out, confusing other animals. It also affects the enemy's sense of smell, enabling them to get away safely. Octopuses are considered the most intelligent of all the invertebrates. Major predators of the octopus are seals, sea lions, and large fish. They are able to regenerate limbs that are lost to predators.