Stout Reef Octopus

The Stout Reef Octopus has a strong, wide body and short, thick arms. Its skin can look smooth when it moves in open water, but it becomes rough and bumpy when it hides or blends in. It can change color and pattern very quickly. It often shows brown, reddish, cream, or yellowish tones. Its arm undersides may show a clear reddish-brown net-like pattern on a pale background. When it is startled, its eye area can turn pale with a dark bar through the eye

The Stout Reef Octopus lives on hard bottoms, rocks, rubble, and tide pools. It shelters in crevices, using stones or objects to shield its den, where leftover prey shells often mark the entrance. An active daytime hunter, it uses its arms to probe crevices or spreads its web over rocks to capture crabs, snails, bivalves, and small fish. It uses fast camouflage and body displays for protection. Females lay thousands of small eggs, guarding them without feeding until hatching, shortly after which they die, leaving the hatchlings to drift in the plankton before settling.

The Stout Reef Octopus (Octopus insularis) was once confused with the Common Octopus (Octopus vulgaris species complex), but researchers have shown that it is a distinct, unique species. In the Western Atlantic, it coexists with Octopus americanus, a separate species that was itself formerly classified under Octopus vulgaris.

Reference: ResearchGate, Leite et al. (2024), View Source