Common octopus: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the common octopus lives – recorded in 15 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Octopus vulgaris
Group	Octopuses, squid & cuttlefish
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	15 countries
Continents	Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America
Lifespan	1.5 years
Class	Cephalopod
Order	Octopoda
Family	Octopodidae

Where does the common octopus live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the common octopus in 15 countries and territories across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America. Wikidata gives its range as: Brazil.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

How long does a common octopus live?

Wikidata records a life expectancy of 1.5 years for the common octopus.

Is the common octopus endangered?

The common octopus’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the common octopus?

The common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) is a cephalopod in the order Octopoda and the family Octopodidae, genus Octopus. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the common octopus

The common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) is a mollusk belonging to the class Cephalopoda. Octopus vulgaris is one of the most studied of all the octopus species, and also one of the most intelligent. It ranges from the eastern Atlantic, extends from the Mediterranean Sea, Black sea and the southern coast of England, to the southern coast of South Africa. It also occurs off the Azores, Canary Islands, and Cape Verde Islands. The species is also common in the Western Atlantic.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Common octopus (revision 1374851649), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q651361 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).