Caribbean Reef Octopus
Octopus briareus
Sighting evidence at Coki Beach, US Virgin Islands
Photo: Jean-Paul Cassez · CC BY-NC
Coki's mixed sand-rubble zones host one of the USVI's more reliably encountered octopus populations, with individuals visible in daylight hours when sought carefully around coral rubble piles and cinder-block debris. Their chromatophore control allows them to match substrate within milliseconds, but a patient eye picks out the tell-tale eye glint and mantle pulsing. Night dives at Coki dramatically increase encounter rates as foraging individuals roam openly across sandy corridors between coral heads.
Evidence at this site
No confirmed records on file at this site
Caribbean Reef Octopus is listed as a curated species here based on historical reports.