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Octopus Eggs Hatching - Mother's Ultimate Sacrifice

submitted by mintbbb

1 decade 3 years 8 months 2 weeks ago

Video: Vimeo - Koos du Preez (A mothers ultimate sacrifice)

'A Giant Pacific Octopus mates only once and when it has done so, it has already begun dying. The mother will lay her eggs in her den and stay there and never leave.. not even to eat.. once the eggs hatch, she is allowed to leave.. but only in spirit.. her body must stay behind as a reminder of her ultimate sacrifice.'

Story by KING 5 News: "It was just thousands of them out there, and you could see it looks like fairy dust almost, when you sit down they are just everywhere around you. It's a pretty amazing sight," he said.

Du Preez explained that after the female octopus lays her eggs she will stay in her "den" for up to six months, protecting the eggs and fanning oxygenated water over them.

"She never waivers from her duty, she never stops, she never leaves and she never eats. She knows that if she even hesitates, the eggs will die," he said. "And then when the eggs start to hatch, she blows a final jet of water over them as she looks upon her offspring and then she dies."

Du Preez said of 100,000 eggs, only three to five babies will reach maturity and repeat the same cycle.

He said his experience was one of his saddest, yet happiest dives ever.