Common Octopus

After mating, which can take several hours, the female deposits several hundreds of thousands of eggs in strings from the ceiling of a rocky spur. Incubation lasts four to eight weeks, during which the female broods and cleans her eggs without leaving her burrow. As a result, she lives off her reserves until she dies of malnutrition and exhaustion.

From birth, young octopi hunts plankton (crab or shrimp larvae). They then move on to bottom-dwelling crustaceans. Using their arms, the octopi search the rocky spurs. They detect their prey thanks to the tactile and chemical receptors on their arms.

Adult octopi also feed on flatfish, sea snails and bivalves (oysters, mussels, etc.). They leave their lairs at nightfall to go on the hunt.

They move along the ocean floor by « walking » on their arms. They can also swim, propelled by a stream of water, for example when they want to flee.