These young typically possess arms with many suckers and adult-like skin sculpture and colour patterns. The morphology of these planktonic stages changes rapidly on settlement, quickly transforming to resemble the adult. The females of all species within this family brood, remaining with the eggs until hatching, cleaning the eggs by jetting water through them as they develop. Females typically cease feeding prior to spawning and establish themselves within the safety of a lair. Eggs are typically laid in strings or festoons, where the egg stalks are interwoven or glued together.
Most species attach the eggs to the substrate, shells or man-made objects.
The duration of development of the embryos is longer at low temperatures than at high ones, and is longer in large eggs than in small ones. Spawning is terminal in the majority of octopodid species, i.e., females die shortly after the last embryos have hatched. Members of this family prey on a wide range of animals, although primarily crustaceans. Cannibalism has also been reported for many species. As in all cephalopods, octopuses are fast growing.