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Wonders of the common octopus
The common octopus (Octopus vulgaris)
↑ All about octopusesThe octopus of rocky coasts
The common octopus lives on rocky coasts. In the UK it is most common along the south and west coasts.
It changes colour and texture
Common octopuses are masters of camouflage. They change colour and texture depending on their mood or the situation, though they are usually brownish-green.
SourceIt solves puzzles
Common octopuses are clever enough to find their way through mazes and recognise individual people, and they can learn to unscrew a jar.
Source
AI-generated illustration
Devoted mother
A mother who watches night and day
The common octopus is an active hunter, and its favourite food is crabs. It is fairly quiet in the daytime, so divers are more likely to see one out and about at night. A pile of empty crab shells is normally a sign that a well-fed octopus is somewhere nearby. This pile of shells is called a midden. When a female lays her eggs, she becomes a devoted mother. She watches over them night and day, flushing them with water from her funnel to keep them aerated. She normally dies after her eggs have hatched.
SourceDusk hunter
The octopus's garden
The common octopus sets out to hunt at dusk, as the daylight fades. Crabs, lobsters and shellfish such as cockles are its preferred food, although it eats almost anything it can catch. It uses its beak to break into shells, and it has venom to subdue its prey. Common octopuses have also been seen keeping gardens. They gather sea plants and algae, and keep collections of shells and rocks alongside them. This habit may have inspired the title of the Beatles song "Octopus's Garden", from 1969.
SourceThe pictures on this page are AI-generated illustrations, not photographs. The facts are checked against the sources linked.