8 Extraordinary Types of Octopus

Out of all the marine creatures living in our Earth’s waters, the species of octopus is by far one of the fascinating ones. Octopuses are extremely intelligent and are considered the smartest invertebrates in the entire world. There are plenty of things that make them intriguing, from their impressive defensive mechanism to how many tentacles they have and their ability to camouflage and avoid predation.

Certainly, there is still a lot that we don’t know about these fascinating ocean creatures, and did you know that there are various species of octopus traversing through the ocean floor? If you want to learn and be fascinated about different types of octopuses, here’s a list of 8 extraordinary types of octopuses roaming through all of Earth’s waters. 

Top 8 Extraordinary Types of Octopus Roaming Through the Ocean Floor

There are various types of octopuses gliding through our ocean floor, and we’re here to help you get acquainted with each one of them.

Caribbean Reef Octopus

The Caribbean reef octopus is one of the most colorful and brightest types of an octopus living through the ocean floor. They are mainly found along the coral reefs around the Atlantic, Caribbean, Bahamas, and Northern South America. This is one of the octopus species from the warm tropical waters, as evidenced by their lives. 

Their bright blue-green color is easily noticeable in the water, and they have a relatively short lifespan not exceeding two years. However, one of their best attributes is how good of a hunter they are. They use the cover of the darkness to hunt their prey among the seabed grass and reefs. With dive lights, their brightly-toned color can be spotted easily with a spotlight. 

Blanket Octopus

As the name suggests, this octopus got its name from its blanket-like looking body. From all the types of octopuses on this list, this has got to be the weirdest and wildest looking one. Blanket octopuses spend their entire lifetime in the open ocean. Compared to their counterparts, this type of octopus is different in size; females are relatively ten times bigger than the male ones. Yup, you read that right, 10,000 times bigger!

Blue-ringed Octopus

The blue-ringed octopus is recognized around the world for being the most marine creature in the ocean. Although this tiny octopus measures around 7 to 10 centimeters, its venom packs enough punch that it can kill 26 humans within minutes. Yikes! For context, the blue-ringed octopus’ venom is 1,000 times powerful compared to cyanide. 

So, if you happen to swim by a blue-ringed octopus in one of your water adventures, it is best to leave it alone and be as far as possible from it. Thankfully, this highly venomous and dangerous octopus isn’t aggressive and will only likely bite if threatened or handled improperly. 

Mimic Octopus

When you talk about octopuses, they are great in one thing, and that is disguise. The mimic octopus, as the name suggests, is quite good at mimicking. However, this species of octopus has taken mimicry to a whole new level! Aside from changing its colors and texture, it can also mimic a creature’s way of moving and impersonates other marine creatures.

Reportedly, mimic octopuses can copy around 15 marine creatures! Divers even saying that these octopuses can copy wild marine species such as sea anemones, feather stars, large crabs, jellyfish, shrimps, and many more.

Giant Pacific Octopus

The giant pacific octopus is the largest species of octopus known to man, and it is also one of the longest-living species of octopus. This octopus has one distinct feature: its brightly-colored body, and they have a relatively long lifespan compared to their counterparts, around 3 to 4 years. Females tend to live longer to tend to their eggs. However, they do not eat during the brooding period and will eventually die afterwards.

Giant Pacific octopuses are night hunters; their primary diet consists of shrimps, small crabs, clams, lobsters, and other small types of fish. It is also known that this type of octopus attacks larger predators such as sharks by using their strong beak-like mouth that easily punctures their prey. 

California Two-spot Octopus

The California two-spot octopus, commonly known as the Bimac Octopus, has a unique appearance compared to other octopuses. They are typically friendly and doesn’t pose any threat to humans. However, its distinctive blue spots around its eyes are easily noticeable, and these spots are thought to be their primary defense mechanisms to prevent being preyed upon.

Unlike its octopus counterparts, the California two-spot octopus has a relatively short lifespan not exceeding two years. Also, they are called semelparous species, or they will only mate once in their lifetime.

Atlantic Pygmy Octopus

The Atlantic pygmy octopus is one of the smallest types of octopus species here on earth. A fully grown Atlantic pygmy octopus measures around six centimeters, and its arms reaching around three centimeters. They are considered carnivores, and their main diet consists of clams, small crustaceans, and other small species. Atlantic pygmy octopuses are also known as picky eaters, and once they catch their prey, they gobble them up.

East Pacific Red Octopus

Considered to be super-intelligent species, the East Pacific Red octopus has great long and short term memories. From various studies and experiments, they have proved that they can solve complex problems. Unlike the Giant Pacific Red Octopus, the east pacific red octopus is smaller and weighs less. They are generally reddish-brown but change their skin color to avoid predators.

Wrapping Things Up

There are still various types of octopuses roaming around the earth’s waters. Whatever they may be, they are still one of the fascinating marine creatures known to man. Unfortunately, although they have a relatively high population, they still face various threats such as commercial fishing, climate change, and many more.

Although it may seem that octopus species aren’t being exploited yet, some people still find ways to exploit them, and we as humans should do everything to preserve them for the years to come. 

You can join us here at ATOLEA on our mission to help preserve the natural habitat of sea creatures like the octopus. On every purchase you made from our Ocean-inspired jewelry collections, part of it goes to Ocean conservation charities. 

So go ahead, choose from our wide selections of jewelry from ATOLEA and make that purchase for a cause!