Deep below the waters of the mighty Pacific Ocean, a mother is making the ultimate sacrifice for her babies. In this touching YouTube clip, you see a female giant Pacific octopus lay down her life to make sure that her babies get the best possible start in life. Watch it for yourself and then read on to discover more about octopus reproduction and dedicated maternal care.
Meet the Giant Pacific Octopus
As their name suggests, the giant Pacific octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) can be found throughout the Pacific Ocean. They have been seen as far north as the Alaskan Aleutian Islands and as far south as the Baja California region of Mexico. Generally, they can be found in tidal pools, although they are also found in deeper waters. These guys spend a lot of their time in dens under boulders or in rock crevices close to a soft substrate such as sand/mud or gravel. As they lead a primarily solitary life, they only leave their den to hunt for food (usually clams, fish, squid, and crabs), to escape a predator, and to find a mate.
Egg Laying and Gestation
Hundreds of thousands of octopus eggs are strung up in the den.
©Philip Garner/Shutterstock.com
Female giant Pacific octopuses will breed just once in their lives. The mating process takes about two or three hours, and the males will mate with several females. It takes her several days to lay between 20,000 and 100,000 eggs the size of a grain of rice. The eggs are arranged in a cluster, a little like a grapevine, and are attached to the ceiling of her den.
From that moment on, the mother dedicates herself to caring for the eggs. She remains inside the den and does not leave, even to find food. During the brooding period, the mother protects the eggs from predators and uses her siphon to clean and aerate them. An octopus’s siphon is a tubular opening that they can squirt water out of.
Caring for the Eggs
The length of the brooding period is determined by the water temperature. In cooler waters, it is longer. Eggs typically hatch after 5 to 10 months of brooding. The mother octopus will die either during the breeding period or just after. Males also die after mating, though the exact timing can vary. So, once the eggs hatch, they are entirely on their own! From the hundreds of thousands of eggs that she lays, only one or two will survive to become adults and breed themselves. Sadly, there is a lot of wastage when it comes to giant Pacific octopus breeding!
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