Pacific giant octopus (Mizutako) - North Pacific giant

Japanese: ミズダコ(水蛸) - ミズダコ（英語表記）North Pacific giant

An octopus of the family Octopidae in the class Cephalopoda (illustration). It is the largest of all living octopuses. Its mantle length is about 25 cm, and when the arms are included, some can reach 3 m and weigh up to 30 kg. Its taste is inferior to that of the common octopus, its skin is loose, and its meat is soft, hence its name. The top of its mantle is uneven, and there are ear-shaped protrusions especially above and behind the eyes. This species does not have the particularly large changes in the male's arms that are often seen in other octopuses. Its body color is reddish with dark mottled areas. It is found mainly in the North Pacific Ocean, and in Japan it can be found from central Honshu north to Hokkaido.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

頭足綱マダコ科のタコ（イラスト）。現生のタコ類中最大。外套（がいとう）長約25cm，腕も合わせると大きいものでは3m，体重30kgにもなる。味はマダコに劣り皮膚が緩く，肉は軟らかいのでこの名がある。外套膜の上はでこぼこで，とくに眼の上後方には耳形の突起がある。他のタコでしばしば見られるような雄の腕がとくに大きく変化したものは本種には見られない。体色は赤みがかっていて，暗色のむらがある。北太平洋を中心に分布し，日本では本州中部以北～北海道に見られる。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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