An octopus (pl.: octopuses or octopodes[a]) is a soft-bodied, eight-limbed mollusc of the order Octopoda (/ ɒkˈtɒpədə /, ok-TOP-ə-də[3]). The order consists of some 300 species and is …

Oct 31, 2025 · Octopuses are exclusively marine mollusks that constitute the order Octopoda within Cephalopoda, a class that also includes squids, cuttlefish, and nautiloids. They are …

Nov 20, 2025 · The true octopuses are members of the genus Octopus, a large group of widely distributed shallow-water cephalopods. Learn more about the anatomy, behavior, and …

Mar 21, 2025 · An octopus does not have a backbone- making it a mollusk, or fish, a squishy body stuffed head enables it to wriggle into minuscule spaces. Their limbs are shaped into eight …

Octopuses have a relatively short lifespan, with certain species living for just six months. On average most of them do not survive for more than one or two years. The Giant Pacific …

Aug 25, 2025 · The primary reason an octopus is not classified as a fish is its fundamental biology. Fish are vertebrates, possessing a backbone, while octopuses are invertebrates, …

Octopuses live in coastal marine waters and spend much of their time in dens—small holes and crevices in rocks and coral. They are generally solitary and territorial. Moray eels, fish, seals, …

Sep 22, 2024 · Octopuses are among the most unique, diverse, and intelligent marine invertebrates on Earth. Inhabiting environments from shallow shores to the dark, crushing …

The octopus performs its famous backward swim by blasting water through a muscular tube on the body called a siphon. Octopuses also crawl along the ocean’s floor, tucking their arms into …

Common octopus in the Aquarium of Seville, Spain O. vulgaris from the Mediterranean Sea Common octopus, Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Karlsruhe, Germany Common octopus …