INTERNATIONAL DAYGENERAL

International Octopus Day

October 8 is International Octopus Day, a full-tentacle salute to the ocean's smartest escape artists. With three hearts, nine brains, and a talent for slipping out of sealed jars, the octopus earns every bit of this spotlight.

OCT8

Friday, October 8Every year on October 8

days to go

Roots: Founded by The Octopus News Magazine Online (TONMO); first celebrated in 2006. October 8 nods to the octopus's eight appendages, and the day kicks off International Cephalopod Awareness Days.
Also on Oct 8: International Podiatry Day · American Touch Tag Day · Fluffernutter Day
Hashtag: #InternationalOctopusDay

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3 ways to celebrate

AT HOME

Family movie night

Stream an octopus documentary or read a chapter about cephalopods together as a family.

WITH FRIENDS

Aquarium outing

Plan an aquarium trip with friends and challenge each other to spot the octopus camouflaged in its tank.

AT WORK OR SCHOOL

Share the wonder

Share a fun octopus fact in class or at the office, and decorate a bulletin board with eight-armed art.

Plan ahead

International Octopus Day is observed on October 8 every year. Here is where it lands for the next ten years, handy for planners, marketers and party people.

2026Thu, Oct 8this year

2027Fri, Oct 8

2028Sun, Oct 8

2029Mon, Oct 8

2030Tue, Oct 8

2031Wed, Oct 8

2032Fri, Oct 8

2033Sat, Oct 8

2034Sun, Oct 8

2035Mon, Oct 8

2036Wed, Oct 8

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Fast facts

Around 300Octopus species live in every ocean on Earth, from a 2-inch dwarf to the giant Pacific octopus, whose arm span can stretch nearly nine meters.

An octopus has three hearts and nine brains (one per arm, plus a central one), and it can change its color and skin texture in seconds.

The story

It started with a simple, perfect idea: the eighth day of the tenth month for the animal with eight arms. The Octopus News Magazine Online (TONMO) founded World Octopus Day in 2006 to celebrate the octopus's diversity, conservation, and biology, and it has been an annual splash ever since. The day also opens International Cephalopod Awareness Days, a whole stretch of tentacle-themed appreciation.

Read the full story

Why all the fuss? Because the octopus might be the cleverest invertebrate in the sea. It solves puzzles, opens jars, uses tools, and rearranges its skin's color and texture in seconds to vanish into the background. It can even squeeze out of a sealed jar, which is either inspiring or slightly alarming, depending on how you feel about jars.

The celebration carries a serious undercurrent, too. Octopuses face real threats from overfishing, pollution, and habitat loss, and this day puts conservation front and center. Zoos, aquariums, and marine sanctuaries around the world mark it with keeper talks, feeding demos, and hands-on education, inviting everyone to fall a little more in love with the eight-armed wonder.

Did you know?

300 Species Strong

Around 300 species are known, and they live in every ocean on Earth, from sunlit shallows to the deep abyss.

Three Hearts, Nine Brains

Two pump blood to the gills, one pumps it through the body, and a central brain plus one in each arm runs the whole show.

The Great Escape

With no bones at all, an octopus can pour itself through tiny openings, including the lid of a sealed jar.

Master of Disguise

Special skin cells called chromatophores let an octopus shift color and texture in seconds, for camouflage or communication.

Eight Means Eight

The founders picked the 8th of the month as a wink to the octopus's eight appendages.

Around the world

Every culture celebrates a little differently.

USUnited StatesAquariums across the country host enrichment demonstrations and keeper talks about octopus intelligence.
GBUnited KingdomMarine centers mark the day with feeding sessions and talks on ocean conservation.
AUAustraliaAquariums spotlight local octopus species with hands-on education about reef life.
ZASouth AfricaMarine sanctuaries fold the day into cephalopod awareness programming along the coast.
JPJapanAquariums showcase Pacific species with special exhibits on these remarkable mollusks.