I have a new friend at the Marine Life Center.
We have two species of octopus that live in the waters of the Pacific Northwest: the iconic Giant Pacific Octopus which can exceed 70 pounds, and the diminutive East Pacific Red Octopus which is no bigger than a softball.
Pictured is Toby, a mature male East Pacific Red Octopus. He’s about as big as my fist and extremely curious. He was collected off the coast of Northwest Washington. He loves climbing on fixtures and investigating my hands with his tiny suction cups, and is super confused by toys. He’s also the most precious soul ever.
Because of his old age and short lifespan up to 2 years, he likely will not be released unless he shows signs of discomfort. So far he’s adapting very well. We will keep him on display in a tank tailored to his natural habitat, feeding him live prey and offering natural stimulation among rock work with compatible tank mates all native to the region, and keep him comfortable for the remainder of his life while he represents the species in our facility.
I look forward to making his acquaintance 😁
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