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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Nicole Wootton-Cane

Conservationists ‘flabbergasted’ by record number of octopus in UK waters

Conservationists have branded 2025 the “year of the octopus” after the eight-legged creatures were spotted in British waters in the highest numbers since the 1950s.

Rising temperatures and a “warm breeding season” led to record sightings of the octopus vulgaris (common or Mediterranean octopus) in south Cornwall and Devon, according to The Wildlife Trust’s annual report.

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