Wolves can’t hold a pen, bears can’t submit an op-ed, and birds can’t publish books or essays. When Alaska’s wildlife need to share their stories, Bill Sherwonit is there.
Call to Action: Volunteer for the Benefit of the Belugas at Kenai and Kasilof Beaches
Species Spotlight: Giant Pacific Octopus
This week's Species Spotlight is the Giant Pacific Octopus, or Enteroctopus dofleini!
Photo Courtesy of: Karin Lehnardt / factretriever.org
DID YOU KNOW…
There are 300 species of octopus in the world, and only eight are found in Alaska. The giant Pacific octopus is the largest octopus in the world. In theory, giant Pacific octopuses can lift a cinder block, 7 computer monitors, or a rambunctious four-year-old.
Giant Pacific octopuses have 280 suckers on each arm, giving them a total of 2,240 extraordinarily complex sensory suction cups that taste, smell, and grab. The larger suckers near their mouth and keratin beak can hold a whopping 35 pounds!
A 50-pound octopus can fit through a two-inch hole!
SCIENTIFIC AND COMMON NAMES
Enteroctopus dofleini, Giant Pacific Octopus
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Full-grown, a giant Pacific octopus can weigh more than 50 pounds, but the heaviest on record weighed 200 pounds and measured nearly 20 feet across. We’re pretty sure that they can win the title of Pacific Ocean Hide-and-Seek Champion hands arms down because they can hide from any predator in one-tenth of a second, by changing and coordinating my skin texture and color to mimic my surroundings. They’re known for their incredible imitation of rocks, reefs, sand, coral, even poisonous fish.
The giant Pacific octopus has nine brains; one big brain and 8 mini, or satellite brains. These mini brains communicate with one another and perform fine tasks without pesky interference from the big brain. That way the one central brain can concentrate on the big life decisions like "what's for lunch?" or "does this kelp make me look fat?" or "yipes, that seal is coming in hot, evasive maneuvers!" They also have copper-based, blue blood, which helps them extract oxygen from the frigid waters they inhabit. Two of their three hearts pump blood to their gills and the third circulates to the rest of their body.
RANGE
The giant Pacific octopus lives in temperate waters in the Pacific Ocean, ranging from Alaska all the way to Baja California. They can be found west to the Aleutian Islands and south to Japan. They’re found at a variety of depths, from shallow water to up to 4,900 feet deep.
THREATS AND CONCERNS
Giant Pacific octopuses are not currently under the protection of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, however, the giant Pacific octopus is facing mounting threats due to climate change, pollution, and fishing. Their popularity as a commercial product has increased, with a 2.5 million ton harvest going to the food market and 35,000 pounds caught annually as by-catch. They also have a short life span and are very reclusive, making research difficult.
LIFE HISTORY AND REPRODUCTION
The giant Pacific octopus lives three to five years, and reach sexual maturity at two years of age. While they spend most of their life in solitude, they do eventually seek out a mate and, to make up for it’s short lifespan, they are extremely prolific.
Females lay 120,000 to 4000,000 eggs in long strands, called a ‘mermaid's purse’. The females then care extensively for their eggs and young, protecting them while they themselves starve over the course of six months.
Males don’t have it much better; they pass a spermatophore into the female's mantle during mating and then die a few weeks later.
Photo Courtesy of: Bruce Kerwin / seadocsociety.org
CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE
Like much of the marine life of Alaska, indigenous connections with octopuses throughout coastal Alaska are deeply rooted in history. They have long been a food source and trade item for subsistence fishers, and are often featured in coastal Alaska Native art, particularly in the homelands of the Tlingit people, who call the octopus “náakw”, or devilfish.
GIANT PACIFIC OCTOPUS COLORING SHEET
We hope you learned something new about the giant Pacific octopus! Check out our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to learn more about Alaska’s wildlife, and subscribe to our free newsletter to get updates from the Alaska Wildlife Alliance! If you want to support wildlife conservation in Alaska, you can become a member for $35 dollars a year
Resources:
Photos courtesy of:
Bruce Kerwin
Fred Bavendam
Jim Auzins
Karin Lehnardt
animalspot.org
AWA Speaks at the Climate Change Preparedness Conference in Las Vegas
AWA Executive Director, Nicole Schmitt, and Board Member Angute'karaq Qakvalria, Estelle Thomson spoke at the Climate Change Preparedness Conference in Las Vegas last month.
The three-day event included climate experts, government officials and policymakers, community organizers, youth leaders, environmental professionals, and other stakeholders from around the country.
Action Alert: Lake Clark Coastal Management Plan Comment Period
Slides from AWA Presentation: Plants and Animals on the Move
AWA on The Wolf Connection Podcast!
Relevant News: Alaska's Governor accepted $55,000+ in hunting-related gifts last year
Action Alert: Strengthen Protections for National Wildlife Refuges
Opinion: Lamenting the state’s kill of Wood-Tikchik Park bears
Our 2023 Annual Report!
Our Comments on the Arctic Board of Game Proposals
Protect the Western Arctic Caribou Herd in Less Than 5 Minutes!
Tell BLM TO SELECT THE “NO ACTION” ALTERNATIVE
The state of Alaska is planning on building an industrial access road, known as the Ambler Road, along the southern Brooks Range. Why? To transport ore from a network of planned open pit copper mines in the northwest arctic.
Where is the proposed road?
The road would cross an area managed by the National Park Service, including 16 million contiguous acres, the largest in the country. This acreage includes Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Kobuk Valley National Park, Noatak National Preserve, Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, and Cape Krusenstern National Monument. These lands encompass a continuous ecologically intact landscape covering the western Brooks Range. This acreage alone is larger than the top 10 largest national parks in the contiguous U.S. combined — Death Valley, Yellowstone, Everglades, Grand Canyon, Glacier, Olympic, Sequoia, Big Bend, Joshua Tree and Yosemite — plus the state of Connecticut!
How would wildlife be impacted?
The landscape is also home to the Western Arctic Caribou Herd with more than 180,000 animals, making it one of the largest populations of caribou in North America. This herd travels up to 2,700 miles every year, the distance of Seattle, Washington, to Miami, Florida.
The proposed road, cutting from east to west across the north-south migration route of the caribou, could pose a serious barrier for the herd in its annual journey. There is scientific concern that the caribou would avoid the road and the industrial traffic along it, moving further west and away from Alaska Native villages that depend on the caribou for traditional subsistence use. If the road were to ever become public, it would put significant hunting pressures on the herd, further disrupting the historic migration patterns.
The road is just one piece to a larger story of industrialization of Northwest Alaska. The road would literally pave the way for the Ambler Mining District, which would only accelerate further development and activity that caribou would seek to avoid. Meanwhile, the herd population is currently in decline, dropping 23% in the last two years. The Western Arctic Caribou Herd will need its vast range to remain intact in order to adapt in a changing climate.
How can I help?
It's easy! Submit a comment to BLM by December 22, 2023.
Tell the BLM to protect the Western Arctic Caribou Herd by choosing the No Action Alternative in the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) :
https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/57323/595/8004057/comment
Spread the word and share with others! Thank you for your support!
AWA on Wild for Change Podcast: Beluga Whales
Another publication! Geographic Origins of Shorebirds Using an Alaskan Estuary during Migration
AWA Publication: Reimagining large river management
AWA's Kenai Peninsula Coordinator wins NOAA Partners in the Spotlight award!
2023 Wildlife Photo Calendar Contest!
New Beluga Signs at the Kenai Docks!
AWA in the news: One of the Largest Caribou Herds in Alaska is Careening Towards Extinction
“In the past three decades, the Mulchatna caribou herd of southwestern Alaska has gone from nearly 200,000 to 12,000. Last year, the state wildlife agency’s Board of Game started to explore ways to help the struggling population. It landed on a controversial solution called "intensive management," also called predator control, which directs wildlife officials to indiscriminately kill predators. It was the first time the state included bears in the hunt, a decision that had no public process and was conducted without bear population estimates.”
