Kenneth S. Norris Rancho Marino Univ. of Calif. Ecological Reserve, Cambria, San Luis Obispo Co., California, March 1-2, 2003

Red octopus (Octopus rubescens), identified from these images by Roland Anderson, Seattle Aquarium. Roland also provided this key to West Coast octopuses (Microsoft Word format). About this octopus, he said: "You can see the three papillae under the right eye in your first octopus photo. You can also see how it got its name. In water, however, they are more typically a muddy brown color."

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Image by D.J. Eernisse © 2003