Friday Cephalopod: The squee factor is over the top here

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What is that little shrimp doing there? Is it about to become baby octopus food?

Wow! That is absolutely fascinating to watch. Russell I don't think that's an impossibility. Nature never ceases to amaze me. (15022219)

By Mooney K.T (not verified) on 10 Apr 2015 #permalink

That's amazing. There seems to be hundreds of eggs hatching. How many eggs does a octopus particularly lay? How long does it take for the eggs to hatch? (15001548)

By Antoinette van Wyk (not verified) on 12 Apr 2015 #permalink

If I am correct I believe that an octopus will look after the eggs for a period of about 53 months and once the eggs hatch she dies. An octopus can lay from 150 eggs to 250000 eggs depending on the species, although octopus species that lay over 100000 eggs usually have only one or two babies that live long enough to reproduce.

By Mooney K.T (not verified) on 12 Apr 2015 #permalink

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By Mooney K.T (not verified) on 12 Apr 2015 #permalink

This is so fascinating! Absolutely incredible, I could watch it over and over again. That you for the facts, K.T. Mooney, 53 months is a long time, it makes you realize how involved other species are with their young, sometimes I think as humans we tend to forget that. Laying 100000 eggs and only having a few survive, that alone makes you thankful to have such a great success rate for human reproduction.
It would be amazing to be able to see this live!
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By Emma Jepsen (not verified) on 12 Apr 2015 #permalink

I never would have imagined octopus eggs looking like that. Seeing that only a few young ones survive, I wondered how many survives and if the mother can or rather will reproduce?

By C. Leuvennink (not verified) on 12 Apr 2015 #permalink

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By C. Leuvennink (not verified) on 12 Apr 2015 #permalink

Personally I think it would be an interesting experience and privileged opportunity to keep an octopus, provided the conditions are correct and suitable of course. This would just expose us to how amazing these creatures are. This would give us the opportunity to observe one of the most intelligent and interactive creatures in the sea. Knowing more about these amazing animals will definitely encourage more care and concern for sea life. 15022219.

By Mooney K.T (not verified) on 12 Apr 2015 #permalink

For a female octopus, becoming a mother means the beginning of end. She has to cover them and protect them against dangerous predators. She does this for the entire 53 months, never eating or leaving.

By Odette le Roux (not verified) on 13 Apr 2015 #permalink

It is indeed amazing how the octopus holds the record of being the animal with the longest egg-brooding period in the entire animal Kingdom! Apparently, octopus that live in shallow and warmer oceans have a shorter brooding period in comparison to those that live in deeper, colder oceans.

By Refiloe (15022120) (not verified) on 13 Apr 2015 #permalink

To see a octopus guarding her babies as they are being born is amazing. It is even more amazing to know that she protects them for 53 months without eating or leaving them. But that made me wonder if she keeps protecting her after they are born. And if she does, for how long does she protect them after birth? (15044654)

By M Hertzog (not verified) on 15 Apr 2015 #permalink

I don't know why, but it has never occurred to me that octopi lay eggs. I suppose you learn something new everyday. What happens the the egg remains? I'm sure nature has a way of recycling them, such as them being a source of food.

By Rebecca Marshall (not verified) on 16 Apr 2015 #permalink

If octopuses can lay so much eggs all at once how do they look after them for those 53 months, because I believe that like humans looking after them can be quite handy, do these species have special ways of protecting the young ones from any kind of harm.

By Faith Makondo(… (not verified) on 16 Apr 2015 #permalink

Octopus is the very unique animal from all animals i can think of. This amazing animal has four pair of arms with the mouth in the center of these arms. It surprised me to find out that actually male octopus also die few months after mating. These amazing animals can live up to five years. The female octopus before and after hatching spend too much time protecting eggs from fish and other predictors of her eggs she protect even her newly hatched octopus and does not eating, she lose strength and eventually she die. Average octopus weighs 15 kg.

By Brian Ndlovu (not verified) on 16 Apr 2015 #permalink

Another interesting thing to look at is he mating between the male and female octopus. Some males detach their modified arm (hectocotylus) which holds the sperm and gives it to the female to use when the eggs is already laid, others insert the arm directly into the female's oviduct..

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By Odette le Roux (not verified) on 18 Apr 2015 #permalink

I like this animal, It is just unique.

I like this animal, its just unique. 15202829

This is absolutely fascinating. I never knew that an octopus can lay those many eggs at once, nor was I aware of the fact that the 'parents' of these eggs would stay around long enough to be there when these eggs hatch (which can last anywhere from two to ten months). Apparently, the mother octopus fans currents over the eggs - like in the beginning of the video - to keep the eggs clean.

By Jadene Jacobs … (not verified) on 19 Apr 2015 #permalink

This is so interesting!

By Bjorn Marcus (not verified) on 19 Apr 2015 #permalink

I never seen anything like this before. I didn't quite understand why the female octopus would risk hurting her eggs by running her tentacles through them, but thank you for clearing that up Jadene Jacobs (15008152)

By Keagan Hoffman (not verified) on 19 Apr 2015 #permalink

The viedo of the octopus eggs Hatching was memorizing to watch. I was waiting for something to happen to that shrimp.

By Pozisa-15147462 (not verified) on 19 Apr 2015 #permalink