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.
在哪里、什么时候能见到
"常驻"表示在该目的地潜水时大多数情况下都能遇见它们；"季节性"表示在所列月份内可靠出现；其他任何情况都是意外惊喜，而非计划中的保障。
| 目的地 | 可靠性 | 月份 | 备注 |
|---|---|---|---|
| British ColumbiaCanada | Resident: seen on most dives | 全年皆宜 |
最佳月份一览
| 月份 | 可靠目的地 |
|---|---|
| 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 |
深入了解
栖息地: Rocky reefs, walls, and boulder fields with den crevices, from the intertidal to well past diver depths in cold, emerald water.
分布范围: North Pacific rim: from California through British Columbia and Alaska across to Japan and Korea.
习性: 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.
食性: Crabs, clams, shrimp, and fishes; the den is marked by a midden of emptied shells outside the entrance.
体型: 通常约 4.0 m; 记录深度可达 6.0 m (arm-span tip to tip; big animals commonly weigh 15–20 kg, exceptional ones far more).
与它相处时的行为守则
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.
保育
Least Concern; taken in some regional fisheries and as bycatch, with local protections in parts of the range.
以此著称的已标注潜点
高亮显示的潜点由编辑团队为该物种标注；数字为1990年以来潜点约5公里范围内的GBIF出现记录数。
观看
来自官方渠道
Wildlife of Monterey | New film in our auditorium
Live Aviary Cam | Monterey Bay Aquarium
Live Aviary Cam | Monterey Bay Aquarium
视频均为创作者自有频道的嵌入链接。我们不托管任何内容，所有来源均注明出处。