An octopus at the Aquarium of the Pacific is receiving an outpouring of love as it nears the end of its life.
Ghost, a giant Pacific octopus, is in senescence, Nate Jaro with the aquarium told KNX News’ Karen Adams.
“It's essentially just her body is starting to break down,” he explained.
He added that Ghost laid her eggs, which are not fertilized, and will spend her final days caring for them.
“Even though they won’t hatch, she's kind of fulfilling her life's purpose by laying these eggs and caring for them,” he said. “When a female octopus start to lay their eggs, we move them off exhibit into the back of the house area. She gets just kind of a quiet time. We just monitor her and make sure she's comfortable.”
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Jaro said that Ghost came to the aquarium has been a joy since coming to them more than a year ago.
“Each octopus is a little bit different in their behavior, and she really has a close bond with her human caregivers,” he said. “She's just a pleasure to work with. We give enrichment sessions multiple times a day. Those range, but some of that enrichment is just that human interaction, just because she enjoys that. She's very curious and likes to explore her relationship with her caregiver.”
Aquarium officials said the average giant Pacific octopus lives to be four to five years old.
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