Common Octopus

Photo: Susanne Spindler · CC BY-NC-ND

Octopus are abundant at Ilha das Cobras and represent one of the primary prey items driving the site's rich moray eel population. Patient observers can spot them by the telltale pile of crab and mollusc shells outside their dens in the boulder rubble zones. Night dives reveal octopus hunting actively across the reef surface, dramatically altering their skin texture and color from moment to moment as they stalk and ambush prey.