Biodiversity & Conservation

Common octopus - Octopus vulgaris - General information

Octopus vulgaris

Image David Nicholson - Octopus vulgaris.
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Distribution map

Octopus vulgaris recorded (dark blue bullet) and expected (light blue bullet) distribution in Britain and Ireland (see below)

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Octopus vulgaris is not listed under any importance categories.

General information

Key Icon Researched by: Emily Wilson Text page icon Refereed by:

Taxonomy icon Taxonomy

Phylum Mollusca Snails, slugs, mussels, cockles, clams & squid
Class Cephalopoda Cuttlefish, nautilus, octopus & squid
Map icon Recorded distribution in Britain and Ireland Reaches its north-eastern limit in south-western Britain and the western English Channel.
Habitat information icon Habitat information Found on rocky coasts, shallow sublittoral. Has adapted to live in very different habitats
Text page icon Description A medium to large sized octopus reaching up to 1.3 meters in length, with a distinctly warty body.
The arms are thick and stout bearing two rows of longitudinal suckers.
The colour varies from grey-yellow-brown-green and can change according to the situation.

This review can be cited as follows:

Emily Wilson 2006. Octopus vulgaris. Common octopus. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 31/07/2010]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesfullreview.php?speciesID=3937>