North American Octopus

Enteroctopus dofleini

This organism is mainly seen in tidal pulls, under boulders and narrow openings made of rocks of the North Pacific Ocean from California, Japan, and Alaska. The domain this species is known to be in is the Eukarya and the kingdom of Animalia. They also are known to be in a phylum of Mollusca, class of Cephalopod, and order of Octopoda. Also, this species is commonly known in a family of Octopodidae, in a genus of Enteroctopus, and a species of dofleini. This octopus has bilateral symmetry, meaning that it is capable to be split in half and have a mirror reflection anywhere on the body. This species has eight arms, a large head, it is very large, and on every tentacle, has many suction cups. A structural adaptation the North American Octopus has is it’s able to squeeze into small places. Another structural adaptation this animal has is how many arms they have. They also have many tentacles on each arm so they are able to grab onto organisms and rocks easily. A behavioral adaptation that this organism has is it is able to change colors to camouflage with its surroundings. Did you know that the North American Octopus’s blood turns blue when it gets oxygenated? The main predators this species has are humans, sea otters, and seals. The prey are clams, cockles, crabs, and scallops. This animal is heterotrophic, meaning that they eat both plants and animals. This animal is also ectothermic, or commonly put to words as cold-blooded.

By: Meredith M

Picture from:

http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/-/m/images/animal-guide/octopus-and-kin/giant-pacific-octopus.jpg?bc=white&h=677&mh=738&mw=1312&w=1200&usecustomfunctions=1&cropx=0&cropy=46