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Red Octopus

Octopus rubescens

Red octopuses can be found all the way from Alaska to Baja California. The female octopuses protect and groom their eggs from late spring to early winter, with the peak of breeding around August and September. Their young hatch in 6-8 weeks, mature in surface waters, and finally settle in kelp beds as young octopuses. As they get older, they move to deeper waters offshore to find homes in sandy mud. They eventually mate in this deep water, then move back to tide pools where the process of birth begins again.

The adult red octopus feeds mostly on crustaceans (lobsters and crabs), mollusks (mussels and snails) and fish. An octopus' tentacles are very strong and can pry apart shells while their beak-like mouth eats the contents. Crabs are a favorite food, which the octopus first kills with secretions from the salivary glands. It then brakes the crab's shell apart and after eating the body, neatly eats the legs, pulling one off at a time.

An octopus has many defenses against its predators of bass and rockfishes. It can swim quickly using a powerful siphon that shoots water behind it, or squirt a cloud of ink around it, making it hard to see. They can change color in various ways to blend in with their surroundings. Most predators will avoid their rough tentacles and sharp beaks after their first tangle. Many large whales bear deep scars from the tentacles of big octopuses.

If you find an octopus in a tide pool, you need to be careful with it. They have a sharp beak that can cut through plastic bags (and fingers). They can also spit poisonous juices at you.

Last modified: May 19, 1997 by Marti
Comments, complaints, compliments -- marti@cse.ucsc.edu