This post is written by Conservation and Environmental Stewardship Apprentice Izzy Song, thirteen years old.

In the Rocky Intertidal at Cabrillo, lies a mysterious creature hidden underneath the algae. It grasps upon the rocks, mimicking the fluidity of the ocean— the twists and turns of its arms swinging into the gaps between the rocks. It looks toward the sun, showing its two, blue spots on its head. If you didn’t know already, this is the Octopus bimaculoides, known as the California Two-Spot Octopus. This mysterious mollusk has a unique way of surviving Cabrillo’s ecosystem.

In many aspects, the California Two-spot Octopus has a unique appearance and characteristics. Its scientific name, Octopus bimaculoides, means “two-spotted”, which is why the common name is California Two-spot Octopus, a reference to the iridescent blue circles, known as ocelli, on both sides of its head. Like its octopod counterparts, it is a soft-bodied mollusk with eight tentacles, but can be distinguished by its two, bright blue spots on its body. This is an adaptation to scare away predators, with their blue spots seemingly looking like eyes. The two spots are very large, which makes a predator think that the octopus is much larger than it is. Additionally, they can change the texture and color of their skin when hunting, mating, or responding to external stimuli. They can do this since they have thousands of cells called chromatophores, with each of these cells containing tiny sacs that can be filled with red, orange, yellow, or black pigment. They use these pigments by squeezing these sacs, allowing them to change their colors quickly. Using these adaptations, they can evade predators by camouflaging with their surroundings, allowing them to live up to 1.5-2 years. After mating, the eggs of the octopus mature quickly at the embryonic stage, with young emerging from the egg that is fully capable of hunting and feeding themselves. Although they have a short life span, they make up for it by producing many offspring very quickly, keeping their population strong.

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