What Must Be In The Photograph ²

There are two octopus commonly found around Aotearoa, the Common octopus (Macroctopus maorum) and the Common Sydney octopus (Octopus tetricus).

To be able to get a species ID for these, you must get a photograph of the eyes.

• White eyes (as seen in the first three photographs) are the Common Sydney octopus (Octopus tetricus)
• Orange eyes (as seen in the last three photographs) are the Common octopus (Macroctopus maorum)

Tweaking Photos ²

Check out the General Guide for Tweaking Photos for tips on how to:

• Sharpen photos
• Lighten photos
• Fix washed out photos
• Crop Photos

Other Photo Guides ²

• Related Guides
• General Guide To Photographing in Rock Pools
• Photographing Gastropods
• Photographing Bivalves
• Photographing Hermit Crabs
• Photographing Brittle Stars
• Photographing Bluebottles
• Plant Guides
• General Guide To Photographing Plants
• Photographing Ferns
• Photographing Sun Orchids
• Photographing Greenhood Orchids
• Photographing Sundews
• Photographing Searockets
• Photographing Rengarenga
• Bird Guide
• General Guide To Photographing Birds
• Insect Guide
• Photographing Praying Mantis
• Tweaking Guide
• General Guide To Tweaking Photos

Sources and Credits

1. (c) tangatawhenua, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by tangatawhenua
2. (c) tangatawhenua, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• California Academy of Sciences
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• iNaturalist Cephalopod Working Group
• World Register of Marine Species

iNat Map