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If you see this, don’t touch it, and don’t kill their mother… Those are octopus eggs!?

2 min read

Sustainable Planet
Source: Facebook/BrightVibes

The mother who laid them conceals herself beneath, keeping watch, and doesn’t move from there even to forage for food. Somehow she’s incubating them and they wouldn’t survive without her ?

The grim, final days of a mother octopus are dutiful: leave her and her eggs alone

Octopuses are the undisputed darlings of the science internet, and for good reason. They’re incredibly intelligent problem-solvers and devious escape artists with large, complex nervous systems. They have near-magical abilities to change colors, skin textures and shapes instantaneously, and they can regenerate missing arms at will. 

However, the final days of a female octopus after she reproduces are quite grim, at least to human eyes, says a 2018 study by the University of Chicago Medical Center. Octopuses are semelparous animals, which means they reproduce once and then they die. After a female octopus lays a clutch of eggs, she stops eating and wastes away; by the time the eggs hatch, she dies. If you’re wondering, the males don’t get off any easier. Females often kill and eat their mates; if not, they die a few months later, too. — ScienceDaily

Octopuses are serious cannibals, so a biologically programmed death spiral may be a way to keep mothers from eating their young. They can also grow pretty much indefinitely, so eliminating hungry adults keeps the octopus ecosystem from being dominated by a few massive, old octopuses. So let's take care of nature this summer. We can still have fun and be responsible. Look but don’t touch.
The scientific jury is still out as to why these clever, resourceful creatures meet such an ignominious end, but there are several theories. Octopuses are serious cannibals, so a biologically programmed death spiral may be a way to keep mothers from eating their young. They can also grow pretty much indefinitely, so eliminating hungry adults keeps the octopus ecosystem from being dominated by a few massive, old octopuses. So let’s take care of nature this summer. We can still have fun and be responsible. Look but don’t touch. Source: Facebook/BrightVibes

OCTOPUSES, CRABS AND LOBSTERS RECOGNISED AS SENTIENT BEINGS UNDER UK LAW

In the United Kingdom last year, following a London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) report, the scope of the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill was been extended to recognise octopuses, lobsters and crabs and all other decapod crustaceans and cephalopod molluscs as sentient beings. Learn more.

Octopus wants to be cuddled. There is so much beauty, so much significance in this encounter between an octupus and two children. Besides kids cuddling an octopus, what else do you see... Tiktok - pattisbrotherandk. Source: Facebook/BrightVibes
Make an Impact

HOW TO BE KIND TO ANIMALS (WITH PICTURES)

Animals of all kinds enrich our lives. They can be our friends or inspire our imagination. Whether it’s a house pet such as a cat, a domesticated animal like a horse, or even a wild animal like an owl or alligator, animals deserve kindness from humans. By caring for pets and domesticated animals and respecting animals in the wild, you can show your kindness to any animal. (This article is aimed mainly at children, and with the animals they are likely to encounter in their day to day lives)