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The lesser Pacific striped octopus (Octopus chierchiae) lives in the Pacific waters of Central America and can be found by small rocks, shells, and cracks in the intertidal zone. Also known as the “pygmy zebra octopus,” O. chierchiae is about the size of a table grape when full grown. Like terrestrial zebras, pygmy zebra octopus have unique stripe patterns. Each octopus can be individually identified by its markings throughout its life. Chierchiae hatchlings emerge from the egg bright orange and the size of a pen tip. They don’t develop dark contrasting stripes until they are a few weeks old.

Unlike other octopus species, which die as soon as they lay eggs, a female O. chierchiae lays several clutches of 30-90 eggs over her reproductive period.