A beloved octopus is entering the last stage of her life in Long Beach,and will spend the remainder of her days caring for eggs that will never hatch.
News of the approaching demise of Ghost — a giant Pacific octopus who has called the Aquarium of the Pacific home for more than a year — prompted an outpouring of sadness on the aquarium’s social media accounts.
The last phase of an octopus’ life cycle is known as senescence. For males, it occurs after mating. For a female, like Ghost, the phase includes sitting on her eggs for six to seven months and a short period of time after they hatch.
Ghost most recently laid unfertilized eggs because she did not have a mate.
“Though senescence is part of the natural life cycle of a female octopus, it is still a sad time for us, especially for those who formed a bond with her as they care for her each day,” said Nate Jaros, the aquarium’s vice president of animal care.
“It has been our custom to announce the senescence of our giant Pacific octopuses, and we have received passionate responses since we know people care about these animals as much as we do.”
This species of octopus reproduces toward the end of life, when a female chooses a large male to mate with, according to the Ocean Conservancy. The giant Pacific octopus can lay tens of thousands of eggs at a time.
“One of the decisions that we have carefully made to support their well-being is to not pair these octopuses since they can be very aggressive and even lethal to each other,” Jaros said.
During senescence, Ghost will wholly devote herself to caring for the eggs — ultimately neglecting to tend to her own basic needs, aquarium officials said.
“The octopus behaves the same way whether or not the eggs are fertile, and female octopus senescing while caring for unfertile eggs is a situation that also naturally occurs in the wild,” Jaros said.
Her duties include keeping them clean and free from fungi, bacteria and algae. But Ghost could experience symptoms such as retraction of skin around the eyes and uncoordinated movement, as well as develop white nonhealing body lesions, according to a report published in the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science.
A giant Pacific octopus will live an average of four to five years in the wild. Ghost’s exact age is unknown, but based on her weight and size “we can approximate she is in that age range,” the aquarium said.
“She is a wonderful octopus and has made an eight-armed impression on all of our hearts,” the aquarium posted on social media. “In the coming days, she will be moved behind the scenes for the remainder of her life.”
Ghost arrived at the Aquarium of the Pacific in May 2024 from a “carefully vetted collector using humane and sustainable collection practices,” Jaros said.
Ever since, the octopus has been cared for with hand-prepared restaurant-quality seafood, curated activities and habitats, and state-of-the-art veterinary care, he said.
Giant Pacific octopuses inhabit the waters of their namesake ocean from Southern California to Alaska.
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