The giant Pacific octopus is considered to be long-lived compared to other species, with lifespans typically 3–5 years in the wild. The octopus is parasitized by the mesozoan Dicyemodeca anthinocephalum, which lives in its renal appendages. Over thousands of years, humans have caught them using lures, spears, pot traps, nets, and bare hands. About 3.3 million tons are commercially fished, worth $6 billion annually. In addition, the octopus (along with cuttlefish and squid) is a significant source of protein for human consumption. Pacific sleeper sharks are also confirmed predators of this species. Marine mammals, such as harbor seals, sea otters, and sperm whales depend upon the giant Pacific octopus as a source of food. Giant Pacific octopus paralarvae are preyed upon by many other zooplankton and filter feeders. Scavengers and other organisms often attempt to eat octopus eggs, even when the female is present to protect them. In May 2012, amateur photographer Ginger Morneau was widely reported to have photographed a wild giant Pacific octopus attacking and drowning a seagull, demonstrating that this species is not above eating any available source of food within its size range, even birds.
Additionally, consumed carcasses of this same shark species have been found in giant Pacific octopus middens in the wild, providing strong evidence of these octopuses preying on small sharks in their natural habitat. It has also been observed to catch spiny dogfish ( Squalus acanthias) up to 1.2 m (4 ft) in length while in captivity. Food is procured with its suckers and then bitten using its tough beak of chitin. dofleini preys upon shrimp, crabs, scallop, abalone, cockles, snails, clams, lobsters, fish, and other octopuses. dofleini at 180 kg (396 lb) with an arm length of 3 m (9.8 ft). Guinness World Records lists the biggest as 136 kg (300 lb) with an arm span of 9.8 m (32 ft).
dofleini is the largest of all octopus species by a considerable margin, including a report of one up to 272 kg (600 lb) in weight with a 9-m (30-ft) arm span. However, a number of questionable size records would suggest E. The alternative contender for the largest species of octopus is the seven-arm octopus ( Haliphron atlanticus) based on a 61-kg (134-lb) incomplete carcass estimated to have a live mass of 75 kg (165 lb). Parker found that the largest suckers on a giant Pacific octopus are about 6.4 cm (2.5 in) and can support 16 kg (35 lb) each. The larger individuals have been measured at 50 kg (110 lb) and have a radial span of 6 m (20 ft) American zoologist G.H. Adults usually weigh around 15 kg (33 lb), with an arm span up to 4.3 m (14 ft). dofleini is distinguished from other species by its large size. It is the largest octopus species, based on a scientific record of a 71-kg (156-lb) individual weighed live. It can be found from the intertidal zone down to 2,000 m (6,600 ft), and is best adapted to cold, oxygen-rich water. Its spatial distribution includes the coastal North Pacific, along California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Alaska, Russia, Japan, and Korean Peninsula. The giant Pacific octopus ( Enteroctopus dofleini, formerly also Octopus apollyon), also known as the North Pacific giant octopus, is a large marine cephalopod belonging to the genus Enteroctopus. Octopus dofleini martini Pickford, 1964.Octopus dofleini apollyon (Berry, 1912).Octopus dofleini dofleini (Wülker, 1910).