# What Do Octopuses Eat?

> What octopuses eat: Carnivore, foraging style, and seasonal shifts in Oceans, from reefs to the deep sea.

- **Species:** Octopus (*Octopus vulgaris*)
- **Conservation status:** Least Concern
- **Diet:** Carnivore
- **Habitat:** Oceans, from reefs to the deep sea
- **Lifespan:** 1–2 years (most species)
- **Top speed:** Up to 25 km/h (16 mph) in a jet burst
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/octopus/what-do-octopus-eat/
- **Parent profile:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/octopus/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Quick answer

The octopus is a soft-bodied marine invertebrate with eight arms, three hearts, and blue, copper-based blood, widely regarded as the most intelligent of all invertebrates. Octopuses can change color and texture in an instant to camouflage, squeeze through tiny gaps, and solve problems and use tools. Most species are short-lived, typically around 1 to 2 years.

## Who should skip this page

Skip this if you need a captive feeding plan from a veterinarian. This page is wild diet, not a pet-care sheet.

## Three hearts and blue blood

An octopus has three hearts: two pump blood through the gills and one circulates it to the body. Its blood is blue because it uses copper-based hemocyanin instead of iron-based hemoglobin to carry oxygen, which works well in cold, low-oxygen water. The main heart even stops beating when the octopus swims, which is why many prefer to crawl.

## Help protect the Octopus

Ocean wildlife is under mounting pressure from overfishing, bycatch and plastic pollution.

[Donate to wildlife protection](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/donate/)

---
Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/octopus/what-do-octopus-eat/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.