A Salty Habitat

Coral Reefs

Octopuses live in every ocean, and different species have adapted to different marine habitats. As juveniles, common octopuses inhabit shallow tide pools. No species are known to live in fresh water ^[1]. Marine habitats can be divided into coastal and open ocean habitats. Coastal habitats are found in the area that extends from as far as the tide comes in on the shoreline out to the edge of the continental shelf. Open ocean habitats are found in the deep ocean beyond the edge of the continental shelf. ^[2]

A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. Coral reefs flourish in ocean waters that provide few nutrients. They are most commonly found at shallow depths in tropical waters, but deep water and cold water coral reefs exist on smaller scales in other areas. ^[3]

Into the Deep

Some species are adapted to the cold, ocean depths. The spoon-armed octopus, Bathypolypus arcticus, is found at depths of 1,000 m (3,300 ft). Although several species are known to live at bathyal and abyssal depths, there is only a single indisputable record of an octopus in the hadal zone; a species of Grimpoteuthis, dumbo octopus (as pictured left) photographed at 6,957 m (22,825 ft).^[1]