Scientists solve mystery of why thousands of octopuses migrate offshore
Octopus garden found offshore of SLO County
– In 2018, researchers from NOAA’s Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Nautilus Live observed thousands of octopus nesting on the deep seafloor off the Central California coast. The discovery of the “Octopus Garden” captured the curiosity of millions of people around the world, including MBARI scientists. For three years, MBARI and collaborators used high-tech tools to monitor the octopus garden and learn exactly why this site is so attractive for deep-sea octopuses.
In a new study published today in Science Advances, a team of researchers from MBARI, NOAA’s Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the University of New Hampshire, and the Field Museum confirmed that deep-sea octopus migrate to the Octopus Garden to mate and nest, according to a recent report by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.
The Octopus Garden is one of a handful of known deep-sea octopus nurseries. At this nursery, warmth from deep-sea thermal springs accelerates the development of octopus eggs. Scientists believe the shorter brooding period increases a hatchling octopus’ odds of survival. The Octopus Garden is the largest known aggregation of octopuses on the planet—researchers counted more than 6,000 octopuses in a portion of the site and expect there may be 20,000 or more at this nursery.
The octopus garden Is located about 70 miles off the coast from San Simeon.
Click here to view the full report from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.
Comments
