New Zealand Giant Octopus

Enteroctopus zealandicus

Cephalopods
IUCN: Data deficient

Usual depth268–491 m
Water temperature8–18 °C
Best monthsJanuary
How commonRare

About this species

Enteroctopus zealandicus, the yellow octopus, is a large octopus of the genus Enteroctopus. It is endemic to the waters surrounding New Zealand.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Enteroctopus zealandicus”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

Loading the map

Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 11 records
February: 0 records
March: 2 records
April: 2 records
May: 1 records
June: 1 records
July: 0 records
August: 1 records
September: 4 records
October: 0 records
November: 2 records
December: 1 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 268–491 m · Deepest record: 844 m

0–10 m: 1 records
10–20 m: 0 records
20–30 m: 0 records
30–40 m: 0 records
40–50 m: 0 records
50–60 m: 0 records
60–70 m: 1 records
70–80 m: 0 records
80–90 m: 0 records
90–100 m: 0 records
100–110 m: 0 records
110+ m: 75 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 8–18 °C

6–8 °C: 6 records
8–10 °C: 10 records
10–12 °C: 18 records
12–14 °C: 41 records
14–16 °C: 1 records
16–18 °C: 1 records

Names and classification

English: New Zealand Giant Octopus, Yellow Giant Octopus, Yellow Octopus

Names in 3 more languages

Spanish: Pulpo gigante de Nueva Zelanda
French: Poulpe géant de Nouvelle-Zélande
Indonesian: Gurita kuning

Other scientific names: Paroctopus zealandicus

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
113 open-data records from 1963 to 2022.
Species data updated November 2, 2026.

Log what you see on your next dive

The free DiveHive diver app keeps your logbook with every sighting and shows what lives at the site you dive next.

Join the waitlist