AnimalsAn octopus has eight arms lined with suckers, three hearts and blue blood. It is the most intelligent of the invertebrates, can change colour in an instant to hide, and squirts ink to escape.
Quick facts
- Scientific name
- Octopus vulgaris
- Group
- Invertebrates
- Diet
- Carnivore (eats other animals)
- Lives in
- Warm and temperate seas worldwide
- Habitat
- Rocky coasts and sea floor
- A young one is called
- larva or hatchling
- A group is called
- no special name
- Conservation status
- Least Concern
How it is classified
Scientists sort living things into groups within groups. Reading down, each step is a smaller group, ending with the species itself.
- Kingdom Animalia
- Phylum Mollusca
- Class Cephalopoda
- Order Octopoda
- Family Octopodidae
- Genus Octopus
- Species Octopus vulgaris
Classification follows the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Other reference works arrange some groups differently. How classification works.
Is it in danger?
The common octopus is listed as Least Concern. The species is widespread or numerous enough that it is not considered at risk of extinction at present.
This is the IUCN Red List category as recorded in Wikidata on 11 November 2026. The IUCN Red List itself is the authority and may carry a newer assessment. What the categories mean.