Giant octopus nearing death lays thousands of eggs at Arizona aquarium, video shows

A giant Pacific octopus is laying thousands of eggs as it nears the end of its life at an Arizona aquarium.

Tako, a female octopus, has been at the OdySea Aquarium in Scottsdale since Sept. 2, 2020, animal care specialist Paige Hundley says during a Facebook Live.

Although it’s unclear exactly how old she is, the aquarium staff estimates she could be between 3 or 4 years, which means she is likely reaching the final stage of her life. Giant Pacific octopuses typically have a lifespan of 3 to 5 years, aquarium spokesperson Karin Gallo told McClatchy News by email.

Hundley said this stage is called senescence — or the end-of-life cycle.

During this period, female octopuses will begin to lay and brood eggs. They can also begin to show signs of a weakened appetite, dull coloration and lack in participation with aquarium team members, Gallo said.

“Although it may seem sad, senescence is a natural, normal process that happens to (giant Pacific octopuses) both in the wild and in human care,” Gallo said.

Female octopuses will begin this process after laying eggs, Gallo said.

Tako began laying her eggs around the beginning of June.

“We might have another week with her, we might have another year with her,” Hundley says.

Since then, she has placed her eggs around her exhibit. These eggs look like rice, the employee says.

“She’s actually treated this whole entire exhibit as her den, which is unheard of. Usually they pick some place really small and they cluster everything together,” the worker says.

Her eggs are not fertile and will not hatch because Tako does not have a companion.

But Tako doesn’t know this, the worker says, and she will tend to each egg as if there were babies in them.

Typically octopuses will lay around 10,000 to 70,000 eggs. Tako hasn’t reached this number, but she’s laid thousands of eggs, Hundley says.

Tako is the first female giant Pacific octopus to lay eggs on exhibit.

The aquarium will keep Tako on exhibit for the public to see and learn from because she has been comfortable laying eggs in her enclosure, Gallo said.

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