Octopi have 8 arms that create an umbrella shape around the central rounded head. Each arm has two rows of suckers and is 3 to 4 times longer than the body. The head has two large eyes and the octopus could be many different colours from a red to a pale grey, with or without mottling and with or without protrusions on its skin.
Southern octopus to around 40 cm, pale octopus to around 60 cm and Maori octopus to an arm span of 300 cm.
Several species of octopus are found throughout NSW waters, from the shallow intertidal rock ledges to the deep offshore areas.