The North American Octopus

(Enteroctopus dofleini)

The North-American Octopus lives in the North-Pacific ocean and from California to alaska, and in Japan. This organism lives in tidal pools and in rock crevices.  The North-American Octopus belongs to the domain of Eukarya and the kingdom of Animalia.  This organism is scientifically organized into the phylum of Mollusca and the class of Cephalopoda. This organism is grouped into the order of Octopoda and family of Octopodidae. The North-American Octopus is grouped into the genus of Enteroctopus and the species of dofleini.  The North-American Octopus has bilateral symmetry.  The North-American Octopus has 8 tentacles with suctions on the bottom of every one, it has a very large head and an interesting fact about this organism is that its stomach is in the head, where most people think the brain is.  The suctions on the tentacles allow the octopus to grab onto shells of crustaceans and use the others to reach what is inside, this is a behavioral adaptation.  The octopus can also squeeze into very small spaces to get food which is also a behavioral adaptation.  A structural adaptation is that they can change color to camouflage with their environment.  Organisms that are predators of the North American Octopus include humans, sea otters, seals, and minks.  This organism feeds on clams, cockles, crabs, and scallops.  The North American Octopus is a heterotroph and ectothermic meaning that it is warm-blooded.