Common octopus

Photo: Susanne Spindler · CC BY-NC-ND

Octopus vulgaris exploits wreck environments with exceptional intelligence, establishing dens in pipe joints and hatch frames where it accumulates shellfish middens outside the entrance. Each individual occupies a territory of roughly 200 square metres and actively hunts at dusk, using chromatic skin patterns to match the encrusted steel almost perfectly. On the Yades wrecks, multiple individuals coexist across different depth bands, offering reliable sightings throughout a single dive.