Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/octopus-eggs/

Octopus moms are the greatest mothers in the animal kingdom.

Upon laying their eggs, the octopus moms guard them throughout the brooding period which may take two months up to two years depending on the species. She does not eat, she does not leave, and she keeps on tenderly wafting currents over her eggs to continuously supply them with oxygenated water. Yes, she absolutely has no rest.

As a matter of fact, one deep-sea octopus, a female Graneledone boreopacifica, holds the record for the longest egg-tending duty that lasted 53 months. She tended and protected her more than 160 eggs until they hatched, while she faded away for good.

However, during a virtual talk at the Ocean Sciences Meeting 2022, James Barry, a senior scientist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), revealed that thousands of octopus moms in California are intelligent enough to cut their breeding period by 90%. And they do this by using the geothermal springs in Davidson Seamount as incubators for their eggs.

The Discovery of Octopus Garden in Davidson Seamount

Davidson Seamount is an inactive volcano about 129 kilometers to the southwest of Monterey Bay. It is also known as the “Oasis in the Deep,” for hosting extensive sponge fields, coral forests, and an amazing diversity of marine life.

The discovery of an Octopus Garden on this seamount was made in October 2018, by a team of researchers from MBARI and the Ocean Exploration Trust aboard E/V Nautilus. Chad King from MBARI and his colleagues were surprised to see a cluster of deep-sea octopuses (Muusoctopus robustus) in a deserted part of the seamount. Upon noticing the presence of a geothermal vent which may be the reason for the octopuses’ congregation, they decided to investigate the area further.

“Within minutes, that’s when we started seeing hundreds and hundreds of these octopuses,” recounted King. He and his team later returned to the spot and measured the temperature of the water coming out of the vents. Unlike the usually cold deep ocean waters, water near the vents measured as high as 10 degrees Celsius. The warmth of the geothermal springs was speeding up egg-hatching at the newly-discovered Octopus Garden!

Shorter Brooding Period May Be Best for Octopus Babies, Just as Their Moms Would Want

Water temperature in Davidson Seamount is typically 1.6 degrees Celsius, and when it’s that cold, the brooding period takes very long. According to Barry, it may even take as long as more than 12 years.

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But, in this octopus nursery at Davidson Seamount, octopus moms are hatching their eggs in less than two years. This short period gives the octopus babies a better chance of escaping predators and surviving into adulthood.

With just 1% of Davidson Seamount having been explored, scientists are looking forward to more expeditions and thrilling discoveries.

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Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog