They're called "giant" for a reason: The Aquarium's specimens are about six feet across, tentacle to tentacle—but that's a modest size. A full-grown giant Pacific octopus can top 50 pounds, and the record is 600 pounds and 30 feet.

Tongue-lashing: The giant Pacific octopus uses a hard, rough tongue called a radula, to scrape a hole in its prey's shell and remove the good parts.

Equal-opportunity eaters: The giant Pacific octopus's diet includes crabs, clams and mussels, but they'll eat a variety of seafood and are often fed squid and shrimp in our exhibit.

Get a grip: A three-pound giant Pacific octopus can exert 40 pounds of pulling power. Its eight arms are covered with more than 2,000 suction cups, providing an iron grip and excellent senses of taste and smell. It's not uncommon for an aquarist to end up with an octopus "hickey" or two after a day's work.

No backbone: The giant Pacific octopus has no skeleton, which means that it can fit in some remarkably small spaces. The only limiting factor is the size of its powerful, parrot-like beak.

A mother to 70,000: The urge to lay eggs comes just once, and usually marks the end of the giant Pacific octopus's life. She can lay more than 70,000 eggs, which look like small clusters of grapes. The octopus will be very protective of these eggs for four to seven months, occasionally using its "siphon" to blow water and keep them free of algae and debris.

Can an octopus be cute? Many people think so. Tiny hatchlings are just over a quarter-inch long and already have eight little arms and about 14 tiny suckers. They drift in surface waters eating plankton for up to three months, then settle to the seafloor. It takes another year to grow to about two pounds.

Danger awaits: Until they grow larger than about 10 pounds, life is very dangerous for a young giant Pacific octopus. Predators include lingcod, seals, sea otters, mink, diving birds, and other octopuses.

Jet propelled: To escape danger, the giant Pacific octopus forces water through a muscular funnel (siphon) and quickly expels it.

Master of disguise: The giant Pacific octopus can flash a warning signal, express emotion, or melt into the background by using millions of pigment cells under the skin to change its body color.

A cousin to cuttlefish: The giant Pacific octopus is related to cuttlefish, which are also capable of changing color to warn off predators.

The mantel matters: The giant Pacific octopus has eight arms that radiate from its head and surround the mouth. Above its head is the globe-shaped mantel—often confused with the head—containing its vital organs.