Book excerpt: Octopus Biology and Ecology is an all-in-one resource that explains early life history stages, including age and growth maturation, distribution, migration, diet, predators and parasites related to these mollusks. Octopods are becoming a strong source of protein, with information on the species becoming more and more important to fisheries. This reference offers detailed information on the most economically important octopods in the world and addresses the management and future forecasting of octopod fisheries. Special attention is given to octopods in highly variable coastal environments as they constitute a particular challenge. Octopod populations (together with other cephalopod groups) have increased worldwide, suggesting that these commercially relevant mollusks will benefit from the conditions of the oceans of tomorrow (e.g., global warming and decreased competition and predator pressures). This is a complete resource for aquatic scientists, marine biologists, researchers, cephalopod biologists, cephalopod ecologists, fisheries and aquaculture scientists, regulators and students. - Provides a thorough overview of the biodiversity of octopuses - Presents detailed information about 21 different species - Includes a profound analysis of past, present, and future trends in octopus research