First discovered in 1963, the name ‘Blanket Octopus’ comes from the webbed ‘cape’ or ‘blanket’ that trails behind the female, a feature the males do not display. A fascinating fact about this species is that the female can grow to between one and two metres in length, whereas males grow to around 2.4cm, meaning this species has the largest gender size discrepancy in the marine world. Sightings of the blanket octopus are so rare it is believed to have only been spotted three times in waters off the island.
