By Tom Harrah
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he collectors at our lab know that every year the fall, winter and early spring are the most common times for us to find octopus. This has been a prolific season for finding these unique specimens. Some years we only find a handful, some years a bit more, and others we find tons. This year has definitely been a big year.
While out checking our crab traps for marine specimens to send to universities, in each trap we found up to three or four octopuses. This has contributed to a slow season for stone crab fishing. Local stone crab fishermen have had the same experience with their traps. Octopuses are attracted to crab traps, crabs being one of their favorite foods. Also, the crab traps seem like a nice place for them to hide. This leads to crab fishermen hauling up traps full of octopus and no crabs.
Fortunately at the Gulf Specimen Marine Lab (GSML) we love octopus. The species we find is Octopus vulgaris. Its common name is the Common Brown Octopus. We have a few of them on display right now at our aquarium in Panacea, FL. Once Octopus vulgaris becomes acclimated to its new environment of being on display, they become very personable. Itâs common for them to come up to the surface of the tank and stare back at visitors.
These charismatic cephalopods are also very smart. Something we enjoy doing at the lab is âteachingâ the octopus to open a glass jar full of fiddler crabs. We give the octopus a glass jar with a few fiddler crabs in it and the lid barely on the jar. The octopus will play with the jar until it pops the lid off to get to the crabs inside. Then we give the jar to the octopus three or four more times, each time screwing the lid on the jar a little bit more. By the last time, the lid is screwed all the way on the jar. The octopus is able to unscrew the lid to get the crabs inside.
We have a few octopuses on display in our âMother Ocean Roomâ at the aquarium. There is a video screen next to the tank where visitors can see video of tiny baby octopus hatching out of their eggs, mother octopus sitting on their clutches of eggs, and octopus opening a jar. An interesting fact about this species is that they only live for 12 to 18 months. Scientistâs theory is that because octopus can be cannibalistic, the reason for their short life span could be the adults pass away to make room for the next generation.
Since these interesting and intelligent creatures have a short life span we donât always have them on display at the lab. If youâre interested in getting an up close look at these charismatic and fascinating eight legged creatures, now would be a great time to stop by our aquarium. Hope to see you there!
Tom Harrah
Gulf Specimen Marine Lab and Aquarium
Biologist/Diver/Collector/Marine Life Educational Programs/Sales
P.O. Box 237/222 Clark Drive/ Panacea, FL 32346
(937) 478-4514