The Larger Pacific Striped Octopus Breaks Every Rule of Octopus Behavior

The larger Pacific striped octopus, or harlequin octopus, is a species first documented in the 1970s but still without an official scientific name. Unlike the famously solitary and cannibalistic octopus, it forms colonies of up to 40 individuals, mates beak-to-beak in a gentle embrace, shares food and dens, and can reproduce multiple times throughout its roughly two-year life. Found in the tropical Eastern Pacific, it exhibits unique hunting techniques and a distinctive stripe-bar-spot color pattern.