seven-arm octopus (haliphron atlanticus)
The Seven-arm Octopus is the largest known species of octopus based on scientific records, with a total estimated length of 13ft and weight of 165lbs. The Seven-arm Octopus is so named because in males the hectocotylus (a specially modified arm used in egg fertilization) is coiled in a sac beneath the right eye. Due to this species' thick gelatinous tissue, it is easily overlooked, giving the appearance of just seven arms though, like other octopuses, it actually has eight. In 2002, a single specimen of giant proportions was caught by fisheries trawling off the eastern Chatham Rise, New Zealand. This specimen, the largest of this species and of all octopuses, was the first validated record of Haliphron from the South Pacific. It had a mantle length of 2.25 ft., total length of 9.5 ft., and weight of 134.5 lbs., although it was incomplete.
