Aside from being the largest of all types of octopus, the Giant Pacific Octopus is also recognizable by its typical reddish-pink color. The octopus is equipped with special pigment cells, called chromatophores, just below the surface of the skin that allow it to change color and blend in with rocky or coral-laden surroundings. The Octopus is actually a mollusk—their shell is located in the head as two small plates and the rest of their body is soft. Since they lack a protective outer shell, octopuses like the giant pacific octopus, use their camouflage abilities to stay safe. When threatened, an octopus can also cloud predators in black ink. The ink is toxic and can be deadly to the octopus if confined to a small space with little current flow. Giant pacific octopuses spend most of their lives alone. They hunt at night for shrimp, clams, lobsters and fish, but have also been known to eat small sharks using their beak-like mouths to puncture prey.
Along with eight arms, an octopus also has three hearts and nine brains. Two of the three hearts pump blood to the gills, while the third circulates blood to the rest of the body. Octopuses use one central brain to control their nervous systems and a small brain in each arm to control movement. Octopuses, including the giant pacific octopus, are also known for having blue blood thanks to a copper-rich protein called hemocyanin in their bloodstream, which is efficient for oxygen transport in cold ocean environments.
The giant pacific octopus only lives an average four to five years in the wild, yet they are still considered one of the longest-living octopus species. Octopus mothers typically die shortly following breeding. After mating, a female will lay up to 74,000 eggs or more in a deep den or cave and live there for seven months watching over them. During this time, dedicated mothers won’t venture out for food, and shortly after the young hatch, the mother will die. Because of this behavior, it is difficult to know population numbers of the giant pacific octopus. Even though these octopuses are still commercially fished in both North America and Japan for food and bait, populations have been naturally resilient so far.