Photo Credit: Cumbria Wildlife Trust
Did you know it is possible to find Octopuses as far north as Cumbria? Recently, the species known as “The Common Octopus” was recently found on the North West Coast, and thankfully returned to the sea after being washed up as photographed.
The Common Octopus is in fact a species native to the Eastern Atlantic region, primarily around West Africa (where they are fished) and the Mediterranean, but also extending to the southern coast of England. However, they may in instances be discovered as far north as Cumbria, although they are absent from the North Sea and will not be washing up on Roker Beach anytime soon!
Like all Octopus species, the Common Octopus is extraordinarily intelligent, and is able “to distinguish the brightness, size, shape, and horizontal or vertical orientation of objects.” However, their presence on beaches is unusual as Octopuses primarily frequent the sea floor, meaning its presence indicated it had been knocked off course by strong currents or a storm.
As stated by the Cumbrian Wildlife Trust: “Like nearly all cephalopods, these octopuses breed once and then, after a period known as senescence, they die. Senescence is the term for the end stages of an octopus’s life when it starts to feed less, exhibit less coordination, and move around without much direction.”