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3559 - Sacramento, California, United States of America

A great photo of a Giant Pacific Octopus. It is found in the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The great thing about the photo is you can't tell which way is up.

Giant Pacific octopus - enteroctopus dofleini - is found along most of the coast of the Pacific Ocean, in both North America and Asia. They do well in cold, oxygen enriched ecosystems. It can grow up to 15 kg and have an arm span of 4.3 m. They generally eat shrimp, crabs, scallops, abalones, cockles, snails, clams, lobsters, fish, squid, and even other octopuses. 

Most octopus species have a life span of a year, Giant Pacifics can live 3-5 years. They reach sexual maturation at 1-2 years of age. They can lay between 120 000 to 400 000 eggs. The females will continuously blow water over the spawn and grooms them to remove algae
and other growths. Mothers will stay with their spans, even foregoing eating. The mother usually dies shortly after the swarm have hatched. Hatchlings are about the size of rice and very few survive to adulthood. They grow quite quickly, growing about 0.9% a day until maturation. 

Octopuses are also considered very intelligent. They have demonstrated that they can recognize humans who they come into contact with. They can even open childproof bottles and use tools. They have been known to open tank valves, disassemble expensive equipment, and wreak havoc in labs and aquaria. 


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