- Where to see one
- 3 U.S. zoos in our directory hold giant pacific octopus, confirmed against each zoo's own animal list.
Conservation status
Not Evaluated
This species has not been assessed for the IUCN Red List, so it sits outside the threat scale entirely.
About the giant pacific octopus
The giant Pacific octopus is the largest octopus species on Earth. It lives along the coastal North Pacific, from Baja California north to Alaska and across to Russia, Japan and Korea, from the intertidal zone down to 2,000 m, and is best adapted to cold, oxygen- and nutrient-rich water. Adults usually weigh around 15 kg, with an arm span of up to 4.3 m. It preys on shrimp, crabs, clams, lobsters, fish and even small sharks, biting with a tough chitin beak, and it stays hidden or stationary about 94% of the time. Unlike most octopuses, which live about a year, it lives three to five years.
Giant Pacific Octopus facts
- A female lays 120,000 to 400,000 eggs and guards them without feeding, dying of starvation soon after they hatch.
- Its largest suckers are about 6.4 cm across and can each support 16 kg.
- It swims by jet propulsion but crawls on its arms along the seafloor.
- One wild octopus was widely reported in 2012 to have been photographed drowning a seagull.
Where to see giant pacific octopus in the U.S.
3 zoos across 3 states
Find the closest one
Rank the 3 zoos holding giant pacific octopus by how far they are from you. Your location is used in your browser to sort this list and is never sent to us.
Alaska· 1
North Carolina· 1
Ohio· 1
AZAThe Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Accredited members have passed an independent inspection of animal care and welfare, safety, conservation and education, repeated every five years. Many smaller facilities never apply, so “not accredited” isn't a verdict on its own. What accreditation means · How we check this
Built from each zoo's own published animal list.
