Southern giant octopus Codexery

Southern giant octopus (Enteroctopus magnificus)

Source-cited species reference: taxonomy from WoRMS, biology from SeaLifeBase, conservation from IUCN Red List.

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Southern giant octopus (Enteroctopus magnificus) is a marine species in the family Enteroctopodidae (Mollusca › Cephalopoda › Octopoda), recorded in the World Register of Marine Species as Enteroctopus magnificus (Villanueva, P. Sánchez & Compagno Roeleveld, 1992) under AphiaID 535784.

Scientific classification

  1. OrderOctopoda
  2. FamilyEnteroctopodidae
  3. GenusEnteroctopus
  4. SpeciesEnteroctopus magnificus

Named by (Villanueva, Sanchez & Compagno, 1992)

Close relatives

Other species of Enteroctopus with a Codexery entry.

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Enteroctopus magnificus (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 535784 (CC BY 4.0)

Conservation status

Least Concern (LC)

  1. LC▲ this species
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX
Population trend
Not held in our sources — see the assessment
Assessment published
2018

Source: IUCN Red List assessment · GBIF copy of the Red List category

How big is it?

Size comparison: Southern giant octopus (Enteroctopus magnificus) and a personA 1.67 m long southern giant octopus (enteroctopus magnificus) drawn to scale next to a 1.8 m tall person. Schematic shapes, not a likeness.1.67 m1.8 m

Largest length in the source, 1.67 m, next to a 1.8 m person.

Diagram: drawn by Codexery, schematic shapes to scale (not a likeness). Length: SeaLifeBase species summary

Classification (WoRMS)

Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Mollusca · Class: Cephalopoda · Order: Octopoda · Family: Enteroctopodidae · Genus: Enteroctopus.

Accepted name: Enteroctopus magnificus · Authority: (Villanueva, P. Sánchez & Compagno Roeleveld, 1992) · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 535784.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Octopus magnificus Villanueva, P. Sánchez & Compagno Roeleveld, 1992.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=535784 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Biology and life history (SeaLifeBase)

Measured values published by SeaLifeBase for Enteroctopus magnificus. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.

Maximum length: 167 cm · Depth range: 2–560 m · Habitat zone: benthic · Vulnerability index: 90 of 100 · Fishery importance: minor commercial.

SeaLifeBase notes: It's mantle length is 36 cm (Ref. 96968).

Source: SeaLifeBase species summary (SpecCode 94156) — https://www.sealifebase.se/summary/Enteroctopus-magnificus.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Conservation status (IUCN Red List)

The IUCN Red List assesses Enteroctopus magnificus (Villanueva, Sanchez & Compagno, 1992) as Least Concern (code LC). No trend, population estimate or threat analysis is given here, because none is available from this source without the Red List API; follow the source link for the full assessment, including its date.

Source: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (taxon 163183) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/163183/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 6521560) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/6521560/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-25.

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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