Photo: Rickard Zerpe · Image source ·CC BY 2.0_(45031078485).jpg){kind=link}
Animal profile · Mollusks · Octopus
Coconut octopus
Amphioctopus marginatus
The coconut octopus is a small Indo-Pacific octopus that often lives on sandy bottoms. It is famous for carrying shells and other objects to use as portable shelter.
Not a fish · an aquatic neighborWater
Saltwater
Shallow tropical sandy and muddy seabeds near reefs, seagrass, and coastal islands.
Temperature
Range not established
A dependable species-specific wild temperature range was not found.
Size
About 15 cm (6 in) across with arms extended
About the size of a dinner plate
Lifespan
Not established in the wild.
Life expectancy varies with place, conditions, and what scientists have been able to observe.
01 · Signature adaptation
What does it do?
It is mostly solitary and shelters in crevices, shells, or discarded objects. It can walk across the bottom while carrying shelter materials, sometimes using only two arms.
02 · Home coordinates
Where does it live?
Tropical Indian and western Pacific waters, including Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, and northern Australia.
Regions: Indian Ocean · Western Pacific Ocean · Southeast Asia · Northern Australia
03 · The menu
What does it eat?
It probes the seafloor and captures small animals with its arms before crushing or tearing them with its beak.
Carnivore: crabs, shrimp, small fish, snails.
04 · Remember this
Two wow facts
Tool user
It gathers coconut shells, clam shells, or similar objects and uses them as armor or a den.
Sources [1] [2]
Portable home
When carrying two shell halves, it can later arrange them into a hiding place on the seafloor.
Sources [1]