Identification Photos: Hubbs’ Octopus, Octopus hubbsorum: The Hubbs’ Octopus has a medium build, with a mantle of 3.5 inches and arms that extend to 8 inches. It is dark grey in color with a significant textured pattern of grey and white lines. Upon collection, this pattern quickly fades to the uniform gray coloration as shown below.

The Hubbs’ Octopus is also differentiated from the other nine octopi found in Mexican waters because it lacks an ocelo, a small marking that looks like a “bulls-eye” and is found between the eyes and the tentacles.

The Hubbs’ Octopus is larger and darker in color, with more prominent eyes, than the Mexican Pygmy Octopus. The Hubbs’ Octopus is common in most intertidal regions within the lower two-thirds of Mexico's Sea of Cortez. We have not been able to find much scientific information about the lifestyle of this species, but we do know that its consumes crabs, crustaceans, fish, gastropods, mysid shrimp, and palaemonid shrimp.

The Hubbs’ Octopus is a member of the Octopodidae Family, which includes all octopi, known in Mexico as pulpos. They are cephalopods inhabiting a diverse region of the ocean, but especially coral reefs. All have 8 arms, usually with sucker cups on them.

They are highly intelligent and have very short life spans of a year or two. They remain of interest to the scientific community due to their ability to tell the difference between colors and shapes, which they can retain up to two years. In some parts of the world they are consumed as food.

Hubbs’ Octopus, Octopus hubbsorum: Collected in March 2006, from a tidal pool at Km. 6 on the East Cape Road north of La Playita, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Approximately 7 inches in size. We believe we have the correct identification of the species pictured here. However, we welcome additional comments and pictures pertaining to other octopi found in Mexican waters. Description and photo courtesy of John Snow.