Where Big blue octopus has been recorded
GBIF occurrence records for Octopus cyanea, mapped and tabulated by country.
Last updated
Distribution map plotted from GBIF.org occurrence records; basemap Natural Earth 110m · GBIF records CC0 / CC BY; Natural Earth public domain
4,354 georeferenced occurrence records with coordinates are published for Octopus cyanea through GBIF, from 60 countries or marine areas. This page maps those records and lists where they come from. Occurrence records reflect where people have looked as well as where the species lives, so well-surveyed coastlines are over-represented.
Quick Facts
- Georeferenced records
- 4,354
- Mapped locations
- 335
- Inland records omitted
- 45
- Gbif taxonkey
- 2289535
Facts from the source article.
Countries and areas with the most records (GBIF)
United States of America — 725 records; Australia — 526 records; Indonesia — 380 records; New Caledonia — 380 records; Egypt — 283 records; Tanzania, United Republic of — 240 records; Philippines — 205 records; Mozambique — 196 records; Maldives — 157 records; French Polynesia — 120 records; Réunion — 109 records; Israel — 95 records; Fiji — 90 records; Malaysia — 67 records; Marshall Islands — 63 records.
Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2289535) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2289535&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY). Accessed 2026-09-25.
Marine regions with a WoRMS distribution record
Kenyan Exclusive Economic Zone; Tanzanian Exclusive Economic Zone; Mozambican Exclusive Economic Zone; Somali Exclusive Economic Zone; Madagascar; Réunion Exclusive Economic Zone; Red Sea; Seychellois Exclusive Economic Zone; Aldabra; Comoran Exclusive Economic Zone; Mauritian Exclusive Economic Zone; Rodrigues; Chagos; Eritrean Exclusive Economic Zone; Mediterranean Sea; Indo-West Pacific; Mtwapa; Ungama Bay; Israeli part of the Mediterranean Sea - Eastern Basin; New Zealand Exclusive Economic Zone.
Source: WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=210788 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.
How to read this map
The map plots a sample of 3,000 of the 4,354 records, deduplicated to a half-degree grid, so dense areas do not merge into one blob. The sample covers 55 of the 60 countries or areas with records; the areas absent from the sample hold 20 records in total (Tuvalu, American Samoa, Spain, Comoros, French Southern Territories).
45 records plotting inland were omitted: for a marine species those are almost always the holding institution's coordinates rather than a collection site.
Records show where the species has been observed and reported, not a modelled range.
Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2289535) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2289535&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=210788 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-25.
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