Cold Water
Giant Pacific Octopus
Enteroctopus dofleini · Cephalopod mollusk, family Enteroctopodidae; the largest octopus species known
The giant Pacific octopus is the largest octopus known, and meeting one at home in the emerald water of the Pacific Northwest ranks among cold-water diving's defining moments. An adult's arms can span a small room, yet the animal pours itself through den slots a fraction of that size; find the door by its midden, a fan of emptied crab and clam shells spilling down the spoil heap. Despite the scale it lives fast: a few years of relentless growth, one round of reproduction, and death, the female fasting for months while she guards and aerates tens of thousands of eggs. Encounters run from a watchful eye deep in a crevice to a bold animal walking the wall and tasting a diver's gear with sucker-lined arm tips. Let curiosity set the pace; never pull, pry, or crowd the den.
Di mana dan kapan melihatnya
"Resident" berarti sebagian besar penyelaman di destinasi tersebut akan menjumpai mereka; "seasonal" berarti kehadirannya dapat diandalkan pada bulan-bulan yang tercantum; selain itu adalah bonus, bukan rencana.
| Destinasi | Keandalan | Bulan | Catatan |
|---|---|---|---|
| British ColumbiaCanada | Resident: seen on most dives | Sepanjang tahun |
Bulan terbaik, sekilas pandang
| Bulan | Destinasi yang dapat diandalkan |
|---|---|
| January | British Columbia |
| February | British Columbia |
| March | British Columbia |
| April | British Columbia |
| May | British Columbia |
| June | British Columbia |
| July | British Columbia |
| August | British Columbia |
| September | British Columbia |
| October | British Columbia |
| November | British Columbia |
| December | British Columbia |
Memahaminya
Habitat: Rocky reefs, walls, and boulder fields with den crevices, from the intertidal to well past diver depths in cold, emerald water.
Sebaran: North Pacific rim: from California through British Columbia and Alaska across to Japan and Korea.
Perilaku: Lives only a few years, growing relentlessly to one round of reproduction; the female guards and aerates tens of thousands of eggs without feeding until she dies. Individuals range from reclusive to boldly curious.
Diet: Crabs, clams, shrimp, and fishes; the den is marked by a midden of emptied shells outside the entrance.
Ukuran: biasanya sekitar 4.0 m; terdokumentasi hingga 6.0 m (arm-span tip to tip; big animals commonly weigh 15–20 kg, exceptional ones far more).
Cara berperilaku di sekitarnya
Let curiosity run at the octopus's pace, keep hands out of dens, and skip lights in a brooding female's crevice: she cannot leave and stress costs her eggs.
Konservasi
Least Concern; taken in some regional fisheries and as bycatch, with local protections in parts of the range.
Situs-situs terdata yang dikenal dengan hal itu
Lokasi yang disorot dipetakan untuk spesies ini oleh editor kami; angka-angkanya adalah catatan kemunculan GBIF yang dicatat dalam radius sekitar 5 km dari suatu lokasi sejak 1990.
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