EuropeLeast concern
Common octopus
Octopus vulgaris
A clever sea animal with eight arms, found along Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts.
- Weight
- Up to 10 kg
- Size
- Up to 1.3 m long
- Lifespan
- 1–2 years
- Top speed
- Fast jets of water
- Diet
- Crabs, shellfish, fish
How heavy is that?
About 25% of a 40 kg kid
Where it lives
Three things to know
- It has three hearts and blue blood.
- It can change colour and texture in a blink to hide.
- It can open jars and solve puzzles.
Compare with…
- Weight
- Common octopus10 kgA 10-year-old kid40 kgThe kid weighs about 4× as much as the common octopus
- Size
- Common octopus1.3 mA 10-year-old kid1.4 mAbout the same
- Top speed
- Common octopus—A 10-year-old kid20 km/hToo slow to time
- Lifespan
- Common octopus1.5 yrsA 10-year-old kid80 yrsThe kid can live about 53× as long as the common octopus
Food chain
- Tiny algaeProducer
- Crabs
Common octopusThis animal- Dolphin