The deep-sea octopus protecting her eggs. (Photo credit: Robison et al.)
A new study documents the case of a deep-sea octopus who tended her eggs for nearly 4.5 years, by far the longest egg-brooding period ever reported for any animal species. The octopus was first spotted a remote controlled underwater in a submarine canyon of the coast of California in 2007. Researchers returned regularly until the eggs hatched in the fall of 2011, 53 months after the discovery.
By contrast, the eggs of shallow-water octopus species usually hatch in 1 to 3 months. While this is the first time such a behaviour has been observed, the researchers believe it could be common in this species of octopus (Graneledone boreopacifica) which is the most-abundant deep-sea octopus in the eastern northern Pacific Ocean.
Original research paper published in the journal PLoS ONE on July 30, 2014.
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