Unique video of octopus hatching

[TSandM]

A friend of mine spent the spring and summer monitoring a female Giant Pacific Octopus who had denned and laid eggs in one of our local dive sites. She was fortunate enough, this fall, to be present when the eggs hatched, and made an amazing video of it.

Here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2tZMhoq0nI&feature=player_embedded

 

[joe8mofo]

That's a cool video, it is amazing how tiny the hatchlings are compared with an adult Giant Pacific Octopus. Thanks for sharing it

 

[TSandM]

Yes, hard to believe they grow from that to a hundred pounds or more in three years!

 

[growabonsai]

Very nice movie. It's really unbelievable how tiny the hatchlings are.

 

[ScubaSam]

Lynne - Thank you for posting the link, what a great video. I was very moved watching the hatchlings float away from their mother.

 

[TSandM]

We Puget Sounders all love our GPOs, and over the last five years, I've seen a number of them on eggs. It's a bitter-sweet story, with the female living only three years, and spending the last six months of it in her den, fanning her eggs and keeping them clean and nourished, and not even leaving the den to eat. You can watch them get thinner and paler over time, and then one day, you go down and the starfish are feasting. But I have never been lucky enough to see a hatch. I was delighted with Laurynn's video, and definitely wanted to share it.

 

[Ana]

I understand they don't leave the den to feed, but if food passes by would she it?

 

[wrybosome]

Thanks for sharing that Lynne! Now I'm off to find out more about GPOae.

 

[Cave Diver]

Very Cool!

 

[Shasta_man]

So cool. Seeing a GPO in person is one of my "must see" moments. Saw multiple large octopus in Indonesia and watching them close up was amazing. Thanks.