Shelter Utilization by the Molluscan Cephalopod Octopus bimaculatus

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Abstract
O. bimaculatus, a common member of subtidal and intertidal communities of southern California (USA), is found in a wide range of habitats at Santa Catalina Island, where it is equally abundant in holes, under rocks and in crevices. Although shelters may be scarce in some areas, it appears that shelters generally do not limit the size of O. bimaculatus populations. Shelters suitable for habitation by adult and juvenile O. bimaculatus were always in excess during the study. Nearly half of the population studied inhabited their shelter for > 1 mo. and a few octopuses occupied the same shelter for at least 5 mo. One fourth of the population spent < 1 wk in the same shelter, and many of these may have changed shelters every day. Nearly all octopuses remained in the same area. The nontransient behavior of O. bimaculatus may have important implications for resource utilization, mating and agonistic behavior.