• Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Mollusca
  • Class: Cephalopoda
  • Infraclass: Octopodiformes
  • Order: Octopoda
  • Family: Octopodidae
  • Scientific name: Eledone cirrhosa
  • Norwegian: vanlig åttearmet blekksprut

Characteristics:

First of all, this is probably the only eight-armed octopus you are likely to see while diving along the coast of Norway. This should ease the identification. The body is usually pale yellow with diffuse orange and brown patches on the dorsal side. Like other octopuses, it has the ability to change color rapidly to match the surroundings if it feels threatened. The skin is covered by clearly visible tubercles. It may reach a total length of 50 cm.

Habitat:

It is usually found on rocky coasts, from the sublittoral zone and deeper.

Distribution:

It is widespread in the north-east Atlantic Ocean.