Our fascination with octopuses has made them popular subjects in writing and film, celebrating their intelligence, the interactions they have with humans and the sometimes bizarre lifestyles they adopt. It is no surprise, therefore, that an octopus ‘outburst’ in south-west England in 2025 caused a media frenzy and numerous headlines reporting the explosion in numbers and potential impacts.
Through an exploration of distribution, life cycle, and natural history, Keith Hiscock provides context for the ‘outburst’ of Common Octopus in British waters which occurred in 2025.