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rainbow blanket octopus

Author

Andrew Walker

Updated on May 28, 2026

Aside from their magnificent and captivating colors, blanket octopus females can weigh up to 40,000 times more than the males. Females can grow up to six feet long, while the males are the size of a walnut – mind blowing! Sadly, they do not live very long.

Where are rainbow blanket octopus found?

The blanket octopus is found in both subtropical and tropical oceans, living amongst the coral reefs. Being nomadic creatures, they move about to different locations every couple of days.

Is the blanket octopus poisonous?

So Is The Octopus Technically Venomous? Well, as it turns out, they all are. The blanket octopus with its makeshift stinging weapons, and the blue-ringed octopus with its fatal bite, are not the only venomous octopuses.

What is the blanket on the blanket octopus?

Blanket octopuses get their name from sheets of webbing that stretch between some of their arms. When threatened, they stretch their arms out, creating a blanket-like silhouette meant to frighten would-be attackers away.

When was the rainbow blanket octopus discovered?

In April 2021, a giant octopus was discovered sliding across the sands of Wategos Beach in Australia. Sydney resident Jarrah Brailey filmed the creature, with tentacles around one-foot-long casually making its way towards nearby rocks. ‘It was so crazy, I couldn’t believe it,’ Brailey told Daily Mail Australia.

What is the rarest octopus?

Dumbo octopuses are naturally rare, and the deep sea is enormous, so these species have specialized behaviors to increase the likelihood that they can successfully reproduce anytime that they find a mate.

How many arms does a blanket octopus have?

Defense mechanisms

The octopus has Portuguese man o’ war tentacles attached to its four dorsal arms. It is unknown whether the blanket octopus is immune to the toxins in the stingers or if they only hold the stingers at insensitive tissue.

How does a blanket octopus defend itself?

The blanket octopus actually uses them for defense. When fleeing from a potential threat, the octopus unfurls it’s blankets to appear larger. If that trick doesn’t work, the octopus can then detach the blankets so the pursuing threat will become entangled.

What are the four species of blanket octopus?

This genus consists of four blanket octopus species: Tremoctopus gelatus, Tremoctopus robsoni, Tremoctopus gracilis, and Tremoctopus violaceus.

How many times has a blanket octopus been seen?

Sightings of the blanket octopus are so rare it is believed to have only been spotted three times in waters off the island. This latest encounter takes that tally to four. Marine biologist and reef guide Jacinta Shackleton has been conducting research and diving around Lady Elliot Island for almost four years.

Who found the blanket octopus?

Blanket octopus was discovered by biologists after 20 years. A rare blanket glittering in gold is found on Lady Elliot Island, the octopus Great Barrier. This rare blanket octopus was discovered by a marine biologist named Jacintha Shackleton in Australia.

How many brains dies an octopus have?

Thanks to their nine brains, it seems that octopuses have the benefit of both localised and centralised control over their actions.