hides by day hunts when it is dark

Size
Length: 100–200 cm, Weight: 2–8 kg
Lifespan
1–2 years
Diet
Carnivorous. Feeds on crabs, crayfish, molluscs, and small fish. Uses eight arms to grab prey. Crushes shells with powerful beak. Injects venom to immobilise victims. Hunts at night using excellent vision and touch senses.
Habitat
Rocky reefs, kelp forests, harbours, and intertidal zones from low tide mark down to 100 metres depth. Hides in crevices and caves during day. Emerges at night to hunt for prey in dark.
Range
Found in coastal waters of North and South Islands from Northland to Stewart Island. Most common around rocky reefs and harbours. Also found in southern Australia and the Chatham Islands. Distribution follows suitable habitat.
Endemism
Native
Main Threats
Bycatch in rock lobster pots and set nets is primary threat. Habitat loss from coastal development poses risk. Climate change affects near-shore reef habitats. No targeted commercial fishery exists in New Zealand waters.
Population
Populations considered stable across most of species range. Octopus is not targeted commercially in New Zealand but caught as bycatch in rock lobster fishery. No formal stock assessment exists for this species.
Conservation Status
Not Threatened
Human Risk
harmless
Handling Note
native octopus, observe from a distance in tidal pools
Conservation Note
Native cephalopod; not assessed by NZTCS as marine invertebrates are outside the scope of current threat classifications.
Te Ao Māori
In Māori tradition, Wheke was a creature of rocky shores and deep reefs. It appears in many stories as a clever, elusive adversary. Colour-changing ability was seen as a form of shapeshifting. It was caught using pots, known as hīnaki, and by hand by experienced fishers. The wheke represents adaptability and cunning. It is a figure of both fear and admiration. Its presence in the intertidal zone links the human world with the deep. To catch one requires skill. To eat one is to partake in that ancient contest. Respect is due.
Most neurons are not in the brain. They reside in the arms. Each of the eight limbs contains a complex network of nerve cells. These cells process information independently. The arms taste what they touch. They feel texture, temperature, and chemical signals. When reaching into a crevice, the arms decide where to go. They decide how to probe. The brain watches. It waits. Control is distributed. Action is local. Change happens in an instant. Colour ripples across the skin. Brown becomes red. Red becomes grey. Grey becomes white. Texture follows. Smooth skin becomes bumpy. It matches the surrounding rocks. The animal disappears. It does not flee. It becomes indistinguishable from its background. This camouflage is not a reflex. It is a deliberate choice. The octopus looks at its environment. It assesses the pattern and colour. It matches it. Deception is active. Under a rock in a harbour or on a deep reef, daylight hours are spent in hiding. The soft, boneless body squeezes into a crevice. The space seems impossibly small. Only the eyes remain visible. They watch for predators. They watch for prey. The eyes are large and complex. They are surprisingly similar to human eyes. This is convergent evolution. Two unrelated lineages arrive at the same solution to the problem of seeing. Vision is key. Night brings the hunt. The octopus emerges from its hiding place. It crawls across the reef. Movement occurs by walking on arms. Each sucker grips and releases. When a crab or crayfish is found, the prey is enveloped. Venom is injected. The shell is crushed with the beak. The beak is hard and sharp. It is the only rigid part of the body. Everything else can bend. It can twist. It can squeeze through gaps no wider than the eye. Flexibility is survival. The rock lobster fishery takes a toll. Octopuses crawl into lobster pots. They eat the bait or the trapped lobsters. Escape is impossible. Fishers call them bycatch. They are tossed back, often dead. Recreational fishers also catch them. Hands or spears are used in shallow water. The flesh is firm and flavourful. It is prized in Mediterranean and Asian cooking. Taste drives demand. Senescence comes quickly. After mating, the male wastes away. He eats less. He moves less. Death arrives within weeks. The female seals herself in a den with her eggs. She cleans them. She aerates them. She does not eat. She dies when the eggs hatch. Her body is spent. The young are tiny replicas of the adults. They drift in the plankton. They settle on the reef. The entire life cycle takes less than two years. From hatchling to death. Time is short. Reproduction is final. The Māori name Wheke appears in many traditional stories. In one, the hero Māui battles a giant wheke. It threatens his fishing grounds. In others, the wheke is a shapeshifter. It is a trickster. It is a clever adversary. Its intelligence fascinates. Its ability to change colour and form commands respect. It was caught using pots, known as hīnaki. It was caught by hand. Its flesh was eaten fresh or dried. No one told it otherwise.