An Encounter with an Octopus: The Fascinating Chameleon of the Sea

During my holiday in Menorca, nature once again gave me a wonderful gift: I had the chance to encounter one of the most fascinating creatures of the sea!

Who am I?

I’m the common octopus, more commonly known as the octopus. Fun fact: the French word “pieuvre” didn’t even exist until Victor Hugo coined it in Toilers of the Sea, to describe a sea monster inspired by me!
My real talent is changing color, and even skin texture, in an instant, thanks to special cells, which lets me blend into my surroundings and communicate, a bit like chameleons do. I don’t have a skeleton, which means I can squeeze into pretty much any rocky crevice, even though my outstretched tentacles can reach up to 1 meter long.
I usually get around by walking on my arms, but I can also swim by jet propulsion if I need to flee, or even release a cloud of black ink to escape a predator. And if I lose an arm along the way, no worries, it grows right back!
I hunt mostly at night, catching crabs and shellfish with a venom that paralyzes them, harmless to humans. Moray eels, conger eels, dolphins, and seals are among my predators, but my biggest threat remains humans, who fish for me heavily in the Mediterranean.
I’m also said to be one of the smartest animals in the ocean, capable of solving problems, remembering solutions, and even playing.
My life only lasts between 1 and 2 years, and it ends shortly after reproduction: the female lays several hundred thousand eggs, which she guards until they hatch without eating, before dying of exhaustion. The male, meanwhile, gradually declines after mating.

Where to find me?

You can find me in temperate and tropical waters all around the world, but I’m especially common in the Mediterranean Sea and along the Atlantic coast. I live among rocky reefs and seagrass meadows, from shallow waters down to around 100 metres (330 ft), although I prefer staying close to the shore.
I’m a solitary and territorial animal. I don’t usually tolerate another octopus within about 30 metres (100 ft) of my den, except during the breeding season. The easiest way to find me is to look for the small piles of shells and pebbles I carefully arrange outside my den—I like to keep my home nicely decorated 😉. In fact, it’s often much easier to spot my “house” than to spot me, thanks to my incredible camouflage!
Minorca is known for its posidonia seagrass meadows and is even home to a UNESCO-listed marine reserve in the north. So you’ve got great odds of spotting me on this island. In fact, the photos of me you’ll see here were taken just a few meters from shore, along the beaches of the village of Sant Tomás, over the rocky seabed.

Pachacamac, My Underwater Friend

While snorkeling, my eyes landed on a strange cluster of multicolored pebbles resting on the rocks. Intrigued, I slowly swam closer, and discovered a small cavity, a tentacle peeking out of it, then an eye staring right back at me. Without realizing it, I’d just stumbled upon an octopus’s “home”!

I went back to see her several times and named her Pachacamac, a nod to Tintin and the blazing sun of Menorca 😉. To thank her, I brought her little gifts: beautiful pebbles I had carefully picked up on the beach and placed beside her hideout. A few days later, I was delighted to discover that Pachacamac had taken one of my gifts—a small red pebble—into her home. Apparently, I had chosen well after all 😉.

I even witnessed something both extraordinary and sad when I saw a cloud of ink spreading through the water. Sadly, it was caused by a swimmer who had disturbed her while trying to make her come out of her den… As I spent more time snorkeling, I eventually spotted other “homes” and their occupants, always thanks to their distinctive decorations 😊.

But it was on the last day of my vacation that I finally got the chance to see her in motion. First perched on a rock, then wandering about, calmly walking and swimming, surrounded by fish. Watching her move, change color and shape right before my eyes was simply amazing. What an extraordinary moment!

It was mostly while looking back at my photos that I fully realized just how incredible her ability to transform really is: shifting colors and shapes, sometimes with little spikes appearing on her skin. It’s honestly hard to believe, comparing some of these photos, that it’s the same animal!
Meeting my Pachacamac 😊 was, without a doubt, the highlight of my stay in Menorca. It was an encounter that made me completely fall in love with these incredible creatures.