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Extreme: these octopus moms brave all the dangers to hatch their eggs

Researchers have discovered a large group of octopus in warm, deep waters of the Pacific, a place that is not suitable for hatching eggs. Yet this is where octopus moms monitor their laying despite suicidal conditions.

A most astonishing discovery was made 200 km west of the coast of Costa Rica , 3 km deep, in the Pacific Ocean. Scientists were exploring the seabed at the Dorado Outcrop, a set of rocks formed from hardened and cooled lavas from an underwater volcano. The researchers used a submersible vehicle to collect samples of hot fluids coming out of rock cracks.

The expedition discovered a group of one hundred octopus with their eggs, in a place where they should not be able to live. Janet Voight, one of the authors of Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers , explained that when she saw the octopus pictures, she said, "They should not be here! Not so deep and not so many! Octopuses were part of an unknown species of the genus Muusoctopus . These pink octopus, the size of a dinner plate, have big eyes and are usually solitary.

A place too hot to raise baby octopus

Most octopuses appeared to be mums that hatched their eggs. And this infernal nursery was near hot fluids coming out of rock cracks. According to the statement from Museum Field (Chicago, USA), it does not make sense to raise their young here because of the heat and lack of oxygen: it would be suicide! Octopuses in the depths of the ocean live rather in cold waters. The heat activates their metabolism and increases their oxygen needs, needs that are not necessarily filled in warm water. The octopus showed signs of stress, with a high respiratory rate, and the scientists did not see any embryos develop in the 186 eggs observed.

One hypothesis to explain the mysterious presence of these octopus is that they are close to a more favorable environment: other octopus could live in crevasses nearby, in colder waters and richer in oxygen. Perhaps the population has increased and some octopus have had to go to brood their eggs further, in riskier places.

It would be a record in the animal world: an octopus from the ocean floor takes care of its eggs for more than 4 years, the little ones taking years to develop. The fate of such a super-mom is inevitably death.

Take care of your eggs for 4 years while eating very little, if at all, it may seem impossible. Yet this is what an octopus of the abyss would do. In the cold, dark waters of the sea ​​floor , metabolic processes are often long. That's why embryonic development could be very slow, but how far? Researchers from the University of Rhode Island and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute had the opportunity to observe an octopus hatching in Monterey Bay, off California. They describe their observations in an article in Plos One .

The mother Graneledone Boreopacific , pictured here, lived in the Monterey Canyon, off California. © 2014 Robison et al. , PLOS One , CC by 4.0

In May 2007, during an exploration in the Monterey Canyon , researchers discovered a female octopus of the species Graneledone Boreopacifica attached to a rock wall at 1,397 m depth monitoring its eggs. Subsequently, the researchers returned to inspect this place 18 times in four and a half years. Each time they found the same recognizable octopus with scars on the body. Little by little, the eggs were getting bigger and the young octopus was growing.

The researchers last saw the mother in September 2011. A month later, she was gone leaving behind about 160 empty egg capsules. As a result, she reportedly hatched her eggs for nearly 4 ½ years, longer than any known animal to date.

53 months to brood eggs

During the 53 months of brooding, the mother had to make sure that the eggs were bathed continuously in well-oxygenated water, and prevent them from being covered with mud. She also had to protect them from predators . Throughout this time, researchers have never seen the female leave her eggs or feed. On the contrary, she did not seem to care about the small crabs or shrimps around her, she was losing weight and her skin was becoming more and more pale and loose.

All the eggs hatched. © 2014 Robison et al., Plos One, CC by 4.0

This is not surprising in these cephalopods : most female octopus lay only once in their life and usually die shortly after hatching. During incubation, the octopus stops feeding or greatly reduces their dietary intake. Here, the researchers had no evidence that the animal was feeding during brooding. That's why they wondered how the octopus lived so long, even though low temperatures and inactivity lead to rather low energy needs .

A rather long life expectancy

For the young, there are of course advantages to be brooded so long: these octopus have no larval stage and hatching, they are able to survive on their own and to hunt small prey. From an evolutionary point of view, the species would have found a balance between the benefits of slow development and the mother's ability to survive for years with little or no food at all.

But this research also suggests a fairly long life span for this species: it could be one of the longest living cephalopods , because most octopus usually live one or two years. For researchers, "brooding also confers an extension of adult life that largely exceeds most projections of the longevity of cephalopods" .

This article appeared first on https://www.futura-sciences.com/planete/actualites/animaux-extreme-ces-mamans-pieuvres-bravent-tous-dangers-couver-leurs-oeufs-54765/
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