Habitat & Geography

The Home - The Octopus vulgaris lives all over the world in tropical, sub-tropical, and temperate waters.  It can live in shallow water or down to a depth of 500 feet.  No matter what depth though, it is a benthic creature and rarely leaves the bottom.

The Niche - The Common Octopus is a predator.  It is a nocturnal hunter that eats mostly crustaceans, bivalves, and fish.  Occasionally one will hunt during the day but the trip will be a short one.  Interestingly Octopus vulgaris has been know to stockpile food.  These guys are also prey to many animals.  The octopuses main predator is humans.  We harvest 20,000 to 100,000 tons of octopuses yearly from octopus fisheries.

Other Organisms - The Common Octopus is benthic and therefore lives with other benthic creatures.  Many species of crabs, lobsters, small fish, sponges, coral, sea anemones, sharks, turtles, marine plants, zoo plankton, and sometimes phyto-plankton.