Beloved SoCal octopus will spend her final days caring for eggs that will never hatch

"A beloved octopus is entering the last stage of her life in Long Beach,and will spend the remainder of her days caring for eggs that will never hatch. News of the approaching demise of Ghost - a giant Pacific octopus who has called the Aquarium of the Pacific home for more than a year - prompted an outpouring of sadness on the aquarium's social media accounts."

"The last phase of an octopus' life cycle is known as senescence. For males, it occurs after mating. For a female, like Ghost, the phase includes sitting on her eggs for six to seven months and a short period of time after they hatch. Ghost most recently laid unfertilized eggs because she did not have a mate. This species of octopus reproduces toward the end of life, when a female chooses a large male to mate with, according to the Ocean Conservancy. The giant Pacific octopus can lay tens of thousands of eggs at a time."

""One of the decisions that we have carefully made to support their well-being is to not pair these octopuses since they can be very aggressive and even lethal to each other," Jaros said. During senescence, Ghost will wholly devote herself to caring for the eggs - ultimately neglecting to tend to her own basic needs, aquarium officials said. "The octopus behaves the same way whether or not the eggs are fertile, and female octopus senescing while caring for unfertile eggs is a situation that also naturally occurs in the wild," Jaros said."

Ghost is a giant Pacific octopus at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach entering the final life stage of senescence. Female senescence includes sitting on eggs for six to seven months and a short time after they hatch. Ghost laid unfertilized eggs because she had no mate. The species reproduces toward the end of life and females select large males; giant Pacific octopuses can lay tens of thousands of eggs. The aquarium does not pair octopuses to avoid aggression and lethal encounters. During senescence Ghost will prioritize egg care and neglect basic needs, prompting public sadness.

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