New Octopus, Tatoosh, Makes Debut at New England Aquarium This Week

BOSTON, MASS. (September 8, 2020) –

Tatoosh, the New England Aquarium’s newest octopus, is making his debut on exhibit this week. The two-year-old, nearly 8-pound giant Pacific octopus is named after an island that is part of a chain of islands off the coast of Washington in the Olympic Coast Sanctuary.

The giant Pacific octopus is the largest of the world’s 250 species of octopus. They are highly intelligent, can change color, and have excellent eyesight. Using their eight arms, they can move more than 700 pounds. They live in the North Pacific Ocean from Northern Japan to California in rocky areas, caves, and kelp forests in depths of more than 500 feet. Their conservation status is stable in the wild.

Here is a media package made up of photo/video of Tatoosh: 2020.09.09_GiantPacificOctopusDebut_NewEnglandAquarium

Please credit Vanessa Kahn/New England Aquarium

MEDIA CONTACT:

Pam Bechtold Snyder, psnyder@neaq.org; 617-686-5068