Are Octopuses Endangered?

Octopus in Water
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Written by Kellianne Matthews

Published: February 5, 2023

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There are roughly 300 species of octopus recognized by scientists, and likely even more yet to be discovered! Octopuses range from the tiny star-sucker pygmy octopus to the giant Pacific octopus with extraordinary size and strength. All of these different species have adapted to their environments in various forms, giving us a deep insight into how remarkable evolution can be. Octopuses come in an array of sizes, shapes, and colors, making them an incredibly diverse group of animals. Like many other marine animals, however, the habitats of these remarkable animals are becoming more degraded, and they are suffering from overfishing and marine pollution. So, are octopuses endangered? Let’s take a closer look!

octopus

An octopus is highly intelligent and has advanced problem-solving skills and the ability to use tools. Octopuses can change color for camouflage as well as communication with other octopuses.

What is an Octopus?

An octopus is a marine animal belonging to the phylum Mollusca and class Cephalopoda. It has eight arms, two eyes, and three hearts. It is highly intelligent and has advanced problem-solving skills and the ability to use tools. Octopuses can change color for camouflage as well as communication with other octopuses.

Octopuses can be found in temperate and tropical oceans around the world. They live in most bodies of water, from coral reefs to the deep sea. Some species inhabit shallow waters near coastlines and others live in deep ocean trenches. Octopuses typically like living in small places, such as crevices and holes, where they can hide from predators.

Are Octopuses Endangered?

As a whole, no, octopuses are not currently listed as endangered or threatened by the IUCN Red List (International Union for Conservation of Nature). Despite this, they face a range of dangers, including being coveted as a delicacy in Asian and Mediterranean cuisine. Octopuses face several other threats to their survival as well, such as fishing pressure, pollution, habitat loss, and climate change. They are also preyed upon by many predators, including sharks, dolphins, seals, and large fish. The declining health of coral reefs reduces the amount of food octopuses have access to, which often leads to population decline.

While most octopus species have mostly stable populations, there are a few species that are listed as endangered. There are also some that are threatened, and others still have insufficient data for scientists to determine their population status.

Since 2008, the amount of octopus caught around the world each year has been estimated to be over 360,000 tons. This number could be even higher because many catches from nearshore fisheries in Asia are not reported. Studies show that octopus populations have been decreasing due to overfishing and the destruction of their habitats as well.

What Types of Octopuses Are Endangered?

Umbrella Octopus

Octopuses from the family Opisthoteuthidae, also known as “umbrella octopuses,” are a type of pelagic octopus.

Mero’s Umbrella Octopus (Opisthoteuthis mero)

Octopuses from the family Opisthoteuthidae, also known as “umbrella octopuses,” are a type of pelagic octopus. They have webs of skin between their tentacles that make them look like an opened umbrella when they spread their tentacles out.

Mero’s umbrella octopus (Opisthoteuthis mero) once lived in almost all the waters around New Zealand. However, now these octopuses are listed as endangered by the IUCN because commercial deep-sea fishing and falling victim to accidental bycatch has hurt their population size. 

Opisthoteuthis species live for a long time but have trouble reproducing quickly, which means that if there are too few of them, the population can drop and take a long time to increase again.

Four-Blotched Umbrella Octopus (Cirroctopus hochbergi)

Another endangered octopus species from New Zealand, the four-blotched umbrella octopus (Cirroctopus hochbergi) has a very small population left. Scientists estimated that there are 250 to 1,000 of these creatures living in the wild, but this number could be even lower. They also think that the population has gone down 50-70% from 1999 to 2009 because of trawling on seamounts (big mountains in the ocean that do not quite reach the surface of the water). 

Trawling is a fishing method that involves dragging large nets through the water to catch fish and other sea creatures. This kind of fishing can be very damaging to animal habitats, as it destroys coral reefs and other marine environments. In addition, four-blotched umbrella octopuses are not intentionally taken by humans, but they are unfortunately caught as bycatch. 

Roughy Umbrella Octopus (Opisthoteuthis chathamensis)

The roughy umbrella octopus (Opisthoteuthis chathamensis) is a species of cirrate octopus that lives only in the depths of the ocean near New Zealand’s Chatham Rise. It is a small octopus, only around 3 inches long and 2 inches across. The surfaces of its mouth and the webbing between its tentacles are a maroon color and the suckers are a pale cream color.

The roughy umbrella octopus is listed by the IUCN as critically endangered due to a drop in population size over the last few years. In fact, it hasn’t been seen since 1999 when it was often caught in fishing nets. These octopuses don’t reproduce quickly, and their young take a long time to develop — up to two and a half years! This makes them especially vulnerable to population drops and slow recovery.

What Types of Octopuses Are Threatened?

Fishing off the coast of New Zealand

People fishing or harvesting aquatic resources in the Bay of Plenty scampi fishery often catch Kaharoa octopuses by accident, hurting their populations.

Kaharoa Octopus (Octopus kaharoa)

The Kaharoa Octopus (Octopus kaharoa) is another special kind of octopus found in New Zealand that is a threatened species. People fishing or harvesting aquatic resources in the Bay of Plenty scampi fishery often catch Kaharoa octopuses by accident, hurting their populations. 

Tehuelche Octopus (Octopus tehuelchus)

The Tehuelche octopus (Octopus tehuelchus) is found from Brazil to Argentina, in the southwest Atlantic. Unfortunately, these octopuses are also threatened, and their numbers are going down. In Patagonia, scientists saw a big decrease from the 1970s to now. This could be because more people are visiting the area, as well as inexperienced fishermen.

In addition, these octopuses can be found in shallow waters during low tides, during which many fishermen in Patagonia go out and catch them. They then transport the octopuses to markets in Argentina and sell them as food for people to eat. Ocean acidification and global warming are also damaging the ocean lives where the Tehuelche octopus lives. This means it could lose its home and be at risk of disappearing completely.

Calypso Flapjack Octopus (Opisthoteuthis calypso)

The Calypso flapjack octopus (Opisthoteuthis calypso) is another member of the Opisthoteuthis genus. Because of the large web between their arms, these types of octopuses have also earned the nickname “flapjack” or “pancake devil fish”.

The Calypso flapjack octopus is rare, so we do not know much about its habitat. However, it has been found on muddy seafloor at depths of 1,200 feet in the South Eastern Atlantic Ocean and 7,244 feet in the Mediterranean! The Calypso flapjack octopus is vulnerable, and unfortunately, it often gets caught up by commercial fishing.

Flapjack Octopus

Because of the large web between their arms, these types of octopuses have also earned the nickname “flapjack” or “pancake devil fish”.

Massy’s Flapjack Octopus (Opisthoteuths massyae)

Massy’s flapjack octopus (Opisthoteuths massyae) is another type of flapjack octopus that lives in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. You can find this octopus as far north as Ireland, in a place called the Rockall Basin, and as far south as Namibia. However, there are more of these creatures on the southeast side of the Atlantic than in the northeast.

Massy’s flapjack octopus can turn its webs inside out, which is called “ballooning”. It’s a carnivore and eats small animals like opossum shrimp, decapods, isopods, marine slugs, marine snails, and bivalves. To catch its food, the octopus uses its web to trap them. This is just like other octopuses that live in the same area.

While Massy’s flapjack octopus isn’t used for commercial purposes, it can be taken unintentionally as bycatch by ships fishing for other things. Massy’s flapjack octopus is a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List.

Up Next:

  • 10 Incredible Octopus Facts
  • Are Octopuses Poisonous?
  • How Do Octopuses Mate?
  • Octopus Spirit Animal Symbolism and Meaning


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About the Author

Kellianne Matthews

Kellianne Matthews is a writer at A-Z Animals where her primary focus is on anthrozoology, conservation, human-animal relationships, and animal behavior. Kellianne has been writing and researching animals for over ten years and has decades of hands-on experience working with a variety of different animals. She holds a Master’s Degree from Brigham Young University, which she earned in 2017. A resident of Utah, Kellianne enjoys creating, analyzing movies, and hanging out with her dog and cats.

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