account arrow-down-select arrow-down arrow-left arrow-right arrow-small bluesky book calendar close email eventbriteexternalfacebook instagram linkedin locationphone pinterest plus quote search tiktok time twitter video-icon

Common Octopus

(Octopus vulgaris)

The Common Octopus is a highly intelligent, active predator. It even has a secret weapon – special glands produce a venom that it uses to incapacitate its prey!

Common octopus ©David Stephens
Common octopus

Take action

Become a member

Memberships builds our community and gives us a predictable income, which lets us plan and sustain longer projects that can have a greater impact. The more members we have, the more we can do to protect the Sussex countryside and coast.

Make a donation

Membership builds our community and gives us a predictable income, which lets us plan and sustain longer projects that can have a greater impact. The more members we have, the more we can do to protect the Sussex countryside and coast.

Overview

Octopuses are relatives of squid and cuttlefish – a group of molluscs known as cephalopods. Common Octopuses are masters of camouflage and will change colour and texture depending on their mood or the situation.

The Common Octopus’s favourite food is crabs – in fact a pile of empty crab shells is normally a sign that a well-fed octopus is somewhere nearby! Octopuses are pretty inactive during the daytime, so it’s easier to spot them out and about on a night dive.

Key Facts

  • Common Octopuses have 8 arms attached to their head, each with a double row of suckers. They have a soft-bag like body and can squeeze into the smallest of spaces to avoid predators or hide from their prey. Their body is changes colour depending on their environment and mood, though it normally appears brownish-green.
  • Female Common Octopuses are devoted mothers, watching over her eggs night and day and flushing them with water from her funnel in order to keep them aerated. She normally dies after they have hatched.
  • Length: 60-100cm

Status

Common

Seasonality

All year round

Video

Common Octopus video

Year of the Blooming Octopus – 2025

Discover species that call Sussex home

More than 10,000 species of plants, animals, birds, insects and invertebrates call our nature reserves home. From bats to beetles, orchids to oaks, and butterflies to birds of prey, there’s an impressive diversity of life to discover and experience across the habitats of Sussex.

Join the Sussex Wildlife Trust community

Become a member today to protect nature for tomorrow

As a member, you get access to free guided nature walks, magazines about local wildlife, discounts on courses and events, and a guide to our reserves.

Not quite ready to join but want to help?

Donate to help create a wilder future for nature in Sussex

Choose to give money to a specific cause, or to our work to manage local reserves, defend nature, and create wonderfully wild spaces on land and beneath the waves.