Cephalopod · octopus

Spoonarm octopus

Bathypolypus arcticus

PacificAtlanticIndianSouthernArctic Found in 2 oceans

Depth

Mostly between 200 and 600 m, reported down to about 2,700 m

Size

6 to 10 cm, about 45 g on average

Diet

Brittle stars, crustaceans, worms

Zone

The sea floor · 200 – 3,500 m

Key facts

• The female broods her eggs for more than 400 days without eating.
• It can live six years or more, a very long time for an octopus.
• The young hatch already fully formed and live on the bottom right away.
• It eats brittle stars, an unusual prey for an octopus.

Verified sources

1. Wood 2000, The natural history of Bathypolypus arcticus (Dalhousie University)
2. The Cephalopod Page : Bathypolypus arcticus
3. Scientific American : Deep-sea octopus hatches fully formed
4. SeaLifeBase : Bathypolypus arcticus

In the game: To observe

In the same zone

Warty bobtail squidRossia palpebrosa Arctic skateAmblyraja hyperborea Arctic seep threadwormSclerolinum contortum Ten-legged sea spiderDecolopoda australis Antarctic sea starOdontaster validus Giant Antarctic sea starMacroptychaster accrescens