Slinking Octopus Filmed in Yaquina Head Tidepool, Central Oregon Coast

Published 02/18/23 at 4:19 AM
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Newport, Oregon) – A bit of a surprise popped up for one Oregon coast employee of the Bureau of Land Management this week as an octopus crossed his path, making a bit of a “splash,” you could say. (Photo courtesy Luke Smith, BLM)

Luke Smith works for the arm of the BLM that oversees Newport's Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area. Wandering around the tidepools, he discovered a giant Pacific octopus slinking around the big grooves. You don't normally see them in tidepools, though it can happen on occasion. Smith said it occurs a few times a year at Yaquina Head.

So this called for a bit of filming, and Smith caught it doing something extraordinary.

It changed colors near the end – something this species usually just does in the wilds of the deeper ocean. This happens near the end of the video, as it slinks its way through the shallow water and arrives at one end of the little channel, shifting to a deeper, darker purple.

They do this to hide from predators or to engage is some hunting themselves, adapting to their environment. They can change from darker colors to white, according to Seaside Aquarium, which frequently has giant Pacific octopuses in one of their tanks and on full display.

“An adult giant can weigh more than 70 pounds,” said the aquarium's Tiffany Boothe.

This particular giant Pacific octopus wasn't very large, said the BLM, but they can get up to 20 feet worth of arm span.

A giant Pacific octopus at the Hatfield Marine Science Center

All of the major aquariums on the Oregon coast and Washington coast have one kind of octopus or another, usually the giant Pacific Octopus. The Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport has an octo cam, which you can watch anytime, and they show up at Westport Aquarium in Washington, Oregon Coast Aquarium and the Charleston Marine Life Center on the south Oregon coast.

One thing each of these facilities have in common with the giant Pacific octopus is that they get released after awhile, usually roughly 9 months. This species doesn't live very long, about three to four years, so since a female dies after she mates, they let her go to have a fuller life near the end. With male octopuses, it's when they start to show signs of old age (often a white around the eyes).

So, yes, you can see them on just most visits to the coastline and you don't have to wait for a encounter in the wild like this one.

Hotels in Newport - Where to eat - Newport Maps and Virtual Tours

MORE PHOTOS BELOW

Hatfield Marine Science Center

Seaside Aquarium

Seaside Aquarium

More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging.....

More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining.....

Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

LATEST Related Oregon Coast Articles

Back to Oregon Coast

Contact Advertise on Oregon Coast Beach Connection
All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright Oregon Coast Beach Connection. Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted

Keywords: Oregon coast, giant Pacific octopus, octopus marine science, Oregon Coast Beach Connection