Photo of the Day

A giant Pacific octopus

Thursday 8 October 2026

It's World Octopus Day.

A reddish-orange octopus with wrinkled skin crawling over the dark seabed, its long suckered arms spread wide — Photograph · 22 December 2015

A giant Pacific octopus spotted in Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, off San Francisco. It's generally considered the largest octopus species, and one of the ocean's cleverest problem-solvers.

Fun facts

Octopuses have three hearts and blue, copper-based blood. source ↗
About two-thirds of an octopus's neurons are in its arms, not its head. source ↗
With no bones, it can squeeze through any gap bigger than its hard beak. source ↗
NOAA puts this species' arm span at about 10 feet (3 m). source ↗

Image: NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries / Greater Farallones NMS
Licence: Public domain
Source: Wikimedia Commons