It’s unlikely that I will ever see the hatch of a giant Pacific octopus’ eggs in person. Thanks to YouTube, Twitter, a underwater high definition camera and the work of the SeaingGreen dive team, I was able to watch this extraordinary natural event.
From the shownotes on YouTube:
A giant pacific octopus mother who lived just across from downtown Seattle had her hatch right under the noses of local divers. Her den was sequestered in Cove Two in West Seattle, in a location that spared her from predators and over-visitation by humans. On September 4 (aka early, early on September 5), 2010, the eggs began hatching. It’s a time of mixed emotion; joy at the hatch, and sadness at the knowledge that this event means the mother’s life will end. The hatch lasted a full week, after which the mother died. Spoiler alert: Best footage comes starting at 3:24.
Wonderful.
[Hat tip: Andrew McAfee]