Common octopus
Octopus vulgaris Cuvier, 1797
LCLeast Concernoctopus and squid
The common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) is a mollusc in the class Cephalopoda and the family Octopodidae, placed in the octopuses subgroup. It was named by Cuvier, 1797, and other English names for it include Octopus, Scuttle, Kolkrabbi, Rock scuttle and Mediterranean octopus.
Quick facts about the common octopus
Its lifespan is given as 1.5 years, with values reported by sources ranging from 1 to 4 years. The IUCN Red List assesses it globally as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category, and the figure for young per litter or eggs per clutch is 80,000.
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 1 year – 4 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Young per litter or clutch
- 80,000src for Young per litter or clutch
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the common octopus
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the common octopus live?
Not recorded
What is 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.
From the Wikipedia article “Common octopus” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Common_octopus&oldid=1384527952), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the common octopus endangered?
The common octopus is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the common octopus classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumMollusca
- classCephalopoda
- familyOctopodidae
- genusOctopus
- SpeciesOctopus vulgaris Cuvier, 1797
Synonyms Octopus albus, Octopus americanus, Octopus bitentaculatus, Octopus brevitentaculatus, Octopus cassiopea, Octopus cassiopeia, Octopus coerulescentes, Octopus coerulescentes, Octopus granulatus, Octopus heteropus, Octopus incertus, Octopus maculatus, Octopus moschatus, Octopus niger, Octopus niger, Octopus octopodia, Octopus pilosus, Octopus rabassin, Octopus ruber, Octopus rugosus, Octopus tetradynamus, Octopus tritentaculatus, Octopus troscheli, Octopus troschelii, Octopus tuberculatus, Octopus tuberculatus, Octopus tuberculatus, Octopus vulgaris americanus, Sepia granulata, Sepia octopus, Sepia polypus, Sepia rugosa
Other names and names in other languages (89)
- Common Atlantic octopusEnglish
- Common European octopusEnglish
- European common octopusEnglish
- KolkrabbiEnglish
- Mediterranean octopusEnglish
- OctopusEnglish
- Rock scuttleEnglish
- ScuttleEnglish
- Gewone SeekatAfrikaans
- أخطبوط شائعArabic
- Polpo comúnAragonese
- PulpuAsturian
- Обикновен октоподBulgarian
- MorgazhBreton
- PopCatalan
- pop roquerCatalan
- pop verCatalan
- chobotnice pobřežníCzech
- almindelig ottearmet blæksprutteDanish
- KrakeGerman
- gemeiner KrakeGerman
- Gemeiner OctopusGerman
- Gewöhnliche KrakeGerman
- gewöhnlicher KrakeGerman
- OktopusGerman
- PolypGerman
- ΧταπόδιGreek
- Κοινό χταπόδιGreek
- pulpoSpanish
- pulpo comúnSpanish
- pulpo de rocaSpanish
- Pulpo de roca del AtlánticoSpanish
- Pulpo roqueroSpanish
- Harilik KaheksajalgEstonian
- Olagarro ArruntaBasque
- meritursasFinnish
- poulpeFrench
- pieuvreFrench
- pieuvre communeFrench
- poulpe communFrench
- poulpe de rocheFrench
- Ochtapas coiteannIrish
- polvoGalician
- Polbo comúnGalician
- תמנון החוףHebrew
- תְּמָנוּן סְלָעִיםHebrew
- תמנון מצויHebrew
- תמנון סלעיםHebrew
- Obična hobotnicaCroatian
- Közönséges polipHungarian
- piovraItalian
- polpo comuneItalian
- polpo di scoglioItalian
- マダコJapanese
- ma-dako takoJapanese
- 참문어Korean
- Gewéinlechen TëntefëschLuxembourgish
- Paprastasis aštuonkojisLithuanian
- azeizmey
- Обичен октоподMacedonian
- kraakDutch
- achtarmDutch
- Europese achtarmDutch
- gewone achtarmDutch
- gewone octopusDutch
- gewoone octopusDutch
- PofreOccitan
- Zeekát coráPapiamento
- Zeekát di piédraPapiamento
- ośmiornica zwyczajnaPolish
- polvo comumPortuguese
- Polvo-comumPortuguese
- polvo-vulgarPortuguese
- obiknovenniy shprotRussian
- Обыкновенный осьминогRussian
- obiknovenniy osminogRussian
- osmonoh obyčajnýSlovak
- navadna hobotnicaSlovenian
- OktapodiAlbanian
- likurishtjaAlbanian
- oktapodi i zakonshëmAlbanian
- tetëkëmbëshiAlbanian
- attaarmade bläckfiskarSwedish
- jättekrakeSwedish
- ปลาหมึกสายใหญ่Thai
- Adi AhtapotTurkish
- Восьминіг звичайнийUkrainian
- Bạch tuộc thông thườngVietnamese
- 真蛸Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISITISTAXREFWikidataIUCN Red List
Relatives of the common octopus
Other species in the same genus Octopus.
Day octopus
Octopus cyanea
Nakji
Octopus minor
Briar octopus
Octopus briareus
Wolf's pygmy octopus
Octopus wolfi
Bimac
Octopus bimaculoides
Red octopus
Octopus rubescens
CompareCommon octopus vs Day octopusCommon octopus vs NakjiCommon octopus vs Briar octopusCommon octopus vs Wolf's pygmy octopus
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the common octopus?
The common octopus is a mollusc in the class Cephalopoda and the family Octopodidae, within the octopuses subgroup.
What is the scientific name of the common octopus?
Its scientific name is Octopus vulgaris, in the genus Octopus.
Who named the common octopus and when?
The scientific name Octopus vulgaris is credited to Cuvier, 1797.
How long does the common octopus live?
Its lifespan is given as 1.5 years, and sources report values from 1 to 4 years.
Is the common octopus endangered?
No. The IUCN Red List assesses it globally as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.
How many eggs or young does the common octopus have?
The figure given for young per litter or eggs per clutch is 80,000.
What other names does the common octopus have?
Other English names include Octopus, Scuttle, Kolkrabbi, Rock scuttle and Mediterranean octopus.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Common octopus (Octopus vulgaris). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-octopus
“Common octopus (Octopus vulgaris).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-octopus.
@misc{common_octopus_2026,
title = {Common octopus (Octopus vulgaris)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-octopus},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}