Giant squid vs North Pacific giant octopus
They share the class Cephalopoda but sit in different orders: Giant squid in Oegopsida, North Pacific giant octopus in Octopoda.
Photo: Stefan Kühn · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Photo: NOAA/R. N. Lea [1] · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
What is the difference between a giant squid and a North Pacific giant octopus?
Each point below is worked out from a pair of recorded values.
- They share the class Cephalopoda but sit in different orders: Giant squid in Oegopsida, North Pacific giant octopus in Octopoda.
- Both are listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
- They have been recorded in 5 of the same countries (the giant squid in 26 in total, the North Pacific giant octopus in 7). Shared records include zoos, so this does not mean they meet in the wild.
Side by side
| Giant squid | North Pacific giant octopus | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Architeuthis dux | Enteroctopus dofleini |
| Family | Architeuthidae | Enteroctopodidae |
| Order | Oegopsida | Octopoda |
| Weight | 272.2 kg | Not recorded |
| Length | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Main food | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Habitat | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Conservation status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Countries recorded | 26 | 7 |
Full record: Giant squidFull record: North Pacific giant octopusCompare other animals