Eight-armed Painter to Debut Talent During Octopus Month

In case you missed it last month...

Originally posted at hmsc.oregonstate.edu

Evidence for octopus intelligence abounds: the leggy invertebrates can use tools, solve problems, and display remarkable curiosity. But now aquarists at the Hatfield Marine Science Center Visitor Center in Newport have found a way to allow Squirt, their resident octopus, to express his artistic creativity as well.

Just in time for Octopus Month at the Visitor Center, the husbandry team has created a device that allows the octopus to manipulate a series of paint brushes against a canvas outside of the tank. Aquarist Kristen Simmons was the brains behind the mechanism. “I did this to combine animal enrichment and public education.” she said, “The art gives people a different way to experience this animal's behavior.”

“While a painting octopus is very entertaining and captures our imaginations,” explained Dr. Tim Miller-Morgan, aquatic vet for Oregon Sea Grant, “the real purpose behind this activity is to provide behavioral enrichment for these very curious and intelligent animals.”

The Giant Pacific Octopus has been a centerpiece at the HMSC Visitor Center since 1965. Generations of visitors have fond remembrances of seeing the octopus for the first time. “The octopus holds a very special place in the hearts of our visitors” said Becca Schiewe, Volunteer Coordinator for the Visitor Center. “Coming face to face with such an intriguing and intelligent animal opens people up to learning more about the wonder and mystery of the ocean.”

Squirt’s colorful paintings have captured the attention of community artists in Newport, and several have volunteered to collaborate with Squirt on shared works. Alex Krupkin, artist and molecular biologist based at HMSC, was the first to collaborate with Squirt. “The octopus’s artistic style is really bold, yet open to interpretation…the opportunity to participate in this collaboration is pretty exciting,” he said.

The octopus will create one painting a week during the month of October, designated by the Visitor Center as Octopus Month. By making an additional donation to the Visitor Center Octopus fund, visitors will be entered into a weekly drawing for Squirt’s paintings and other prizes each week, including marine themed art from local artisans, and an “up close and personal” octopus encounter at HMSC.

Drawings will occur each Saturday in October. October 20th will be a special day to celebrate all things octopus and will include children’s activities, face painting, special guest speakers, and an octopus feeding at 1 pm.

Fans of Squirt can keep tabs on his activities – artistic and otherwise – by viewing the HMSC live streaming “OctoCam” at http://hmsc.oregonstate.edu/visitor/octocam.

The mission of the HMSC Visitor Center is to interpret ocean science and the latest Oregon State University marine research. The Visitor Center features displays about local marine research and the marine environment, including aquaria, touch tanks, and hands-on activities. A range of special events is scheduled at the Center throughout the year. For more information, go to http://hmsc.oregonstate.edu/visitor.

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Be sure to visit Hatfield MarineScience Center's OctoCam to keep an eye on what Squirt is up to!

Octopus Symposium & Workshop at the Seattle Aquarium!!!

Last week was Octopus Week at the Seattle Aquarium. Locals had a opportunity to learn about one of the coolest creatures in Puget Sound, the Giant Pacific Octopus. There were daily hands-on activities, octopus feedings, and even a live ocotpus release.

If any Everything Octopus readers paid a visit to the Seattle Aquarium last week, please let us know how it was. You can email me pictures at EverythingOctopus@gmail.com to be shared with our ceph-loveing community.


Be sure to save the date for the upcoming Octopus Symposium and Workshop at the Seattle Aquarium.

Octopus Symposium & Workshop Presentations and Speakers

Is the GPO the octopus archetype?
Jennifer Mather, University of Lethbridge (Lethbridge, Alberta, B.C.)

Temperature, movements, and anesthesia of giant Pacific octopuses.
David Scheel, Alaska Pacific University (Anchorage, AK)
David Scheel’s student, Alaska Pacific University (Anchorage, AK)

Escaping the Kraken’s Grasp: A Sponge-Scallop Mutualism Possibly Maintained by Octopus Predation
Kirt Onthank, Washington State University (Pullman, WA)

Evidence for inter-sucker coordination during different arm movements in the giant Pacific octopus
Stavros Hadjisolomou

Preliminary results of population genetics analysis of Giant pacific octopuses in Washington, Oregon and British Columbia
Shawn Larson, Seattle Aquarium (Seattle WA)

The Legacy of Olive
Guy Becken, Seattle Aquarium (Seattle WA)
Kathryn Kegel Seattle Aquarium (Seattle, WA)

Close relatives of the giant Pacific octopus
Ian Gleadall, Tohoku University (Sendai, Japan)



Video: Octopus Caught While Kayak Fishing

And this is why I love Washington...

Video Description
Bryce hooked into a octopus which he originally thought was a snag. I was able to get some pretty sweet underwater shots while it was next to his kayak. The octopus was kept and enjoyed. It swallowed a pretty large hook so its survival was unlikely. I used a Kodak Playsport (Zx3) to film this.

Further info for the people commenting: For the record, I didn't kill it, or eat it. I just filmed it. Also, it was not wasted. Its sacrifice was well respected among those that did eat it. I'm not a biologist of any kind, but a simple search on the internet shows that octopuses are not a rare animal. In fact, there is evidence that suggests they are overpopulated in their range. They have a life-span of 3 to 5 years so I'm guessing because of its size that this one was nearing the end of that span. So, I would rather it be killed quickly and not wasted than it be set free to suffer and starve for the last year or so of its life with a six inch hook in its mouth.

New Giant Pacific Octopus joins Aquarium of the Bay

SFExaminer.com
March 28, 2011

A Giant Pacific Octopus will be getting its tentacles wet as the newest addition to an aquarium in San Francisco, officials said.

The Aquarium of the Bay welcomed the octopus Thursday after purchasing it from a local crab fisherman, according to the aquarium.

Giant Pacific Octopuses crave crabs and den-like enclosures, and often mistake crabbers’ nets as hunting and hiding ground, where they are unintentionally caught, aquarium officials said.

If the octopus kills and eats the crabber’s catch, many fishermen retaliate by killing the octopus, according to the aquarium.

Aquarium of the Bay tries to change this behavior by working with fishermen and purchasing octopuses for exhibit.

The aquarium said it advertises this financial opportunity by posting fliers around local piers and tackle stores.

The newest inhabitant to the aquarium, a true testament to its name, weighs over 80 pounds and joins three other Giant Pacific Octopuses in the aquarium’s near-shore tunnel exhibit, officials said.

Giant Pacific Octopuses are professionals at the art of disguise and can change color within a fraction of a second, by stretching or squeezing their skin, according to the aquarium. Their typical lifespan is about five years.

“Aquarium of the Bay is always happy to provide a safe haven for octopuses that would otherwise meet a hasty demise,” Christina J. Slager, the aquarium’s director of husbandry, said in a news release.

The aquarium is a nonprofit marine life center, dedicated to cultivating the conservation of the San Francisco Bay and its watershed.

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Stay tuned for details on the latest Everything Octopus contest and how you can win!

Video: BBC Wildlife Extreme Animals

"Watch this amazing footage as Steve Leonard gets up close and personal with a giant octopus in the freezing sea waters. Would you be happy to get this close to an Extreme Animal with giant eys and pale blue blood? Find out now as you take a dive into this beautiful aquatic environment."



Visit this link on the Giant Pacific Octopus to learn more about the largest and longest-living species of octopus.

Saying Goodbye to the Giant Pacific Octopus in Oregon

March 25, 2011
BeachConnection.net


(Oregon Coast) – Three distinctly different ways to have fun are popping up on the Oregon coast this coming week - all quite unlike the other, but certainly very different ways to engage in repose as well. One involves an octopus, another a lot of poetry and prose, and the third is a historical museum coming back to life. (Photo Above: a Pacific octopus - photo courtesy Seaside Aquarium).

If you grew up in Oregon, it's likely one of your more vivid memories was of the octopus near the front entrance of the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport. Nope, it hasn’t been the same octopus all these years, but rather they change every nine months.

On Wednesday, March 30, staff at the Hatfield will let their latest giant Pacific octopus go free, back into the wild.

The Hatfield’s Bill Hanshumaker said Giant Pacific octopuses have a short life span of about just a few years.

The giant pacific octopus dies shortly after reproducing – so this is one heck of a last hurrah.

The crowds will gather at Yaquina Bay's South Jetty at 10:30 a.m. to wave goodbye. Newport, Oregon.

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Visit the link to learn more about Oregon State University's Hatfield Marine Science Center.

Happy Homecoming for Seattle Aquarium Octopus

King5.com
February 19, 2011



SEATTLE - It's octopus week at the Seattle Aquarium and it was homecoming day for one famous resident.

"K-2" is a 57-pound female octopus, prepared for her release by aquarium biologists Saturday morning. She mated earlier this week with another octopus named Ivar.

Divers prepared to guide her to a den on the bottom of Elliott Bay.

KING 5 Chief Meteorologist Jeff Renner was part of the release team, rolling K2 down to divers waiting in the water, much to the delight of hundreds of spectators.

The octopus willingly went into the arms of an aquarium biologist, descending along a piling to the bottom, where she searched for a suitable den.

The aquarium will be featuring octopus activities all week, together with another release of an octopus next Saturday.

Big Brother is Watching!

06/07/2010
From: BeachConnection.net

(Newport, Oregon) – An icon and celebrity of the central Oregon coast – albeit a rather slimy, freaky one – is now a bit more famous as it shows up live on a computer near you.

Everyone who’s ever been to the Hatfield remembers him. And now they can check him out 24 hours a day.

The Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport just opened its octopus tank to the world by streaming live video of their giant Pacific Octopus – seen at http://hmsc.oregonstate.edu/visitor/octocam

There are two web cams being utilized: one is outside the tank and slightly above, and the other inside. Their famed resident cephalopod can be seen interacting with tank mates and visitors to the center peering in. The funky feature skirts in and out of various nooks and crannies in the tank, sometimes disappearing out of view of the camera for a time. There is an addictive quality to this, as you see this remarkable creature curl up into strange shapes and wander around his habitat. You definitely wonder what’s on his mind.

Viewers can also watch archival footage of the octopus investigating the camera when it was first installed; and more archival footage will be added periodically.

Since the Hatfield opened its doors in 1965, the giant Pacific octopus has been a centerpiece and a definite favorite. It has not been the same one all these years, of course: typically an adult octopus stays in the tank for between one and two years. Crabbers often donate young octopuses, which then replace older animals that are released into Yaquina Bay to find a mate and reproduce.

The Hatfield said that many visitors arrange their trips to the facility to catch sight of staff feeding the creature, which happens three times a week and involves giving him live crab. He creates quite a spectacle as he stalks his prey, then pounces on it – allowing tourists to learn much about their biology and behavior. These feeding times vary depending on the season. The schedule can be seen at the Hatfield site: http://hmsc.oregonstate.edu/visitor

Getting the web cam in place took the combined efforts of most of the branches of the center, including its media services program.

Dennis Glaze, the aquatic curator and husbandry specialist with the center’s Sea Grant program, first had to evaluate the feasibility of putting a camera into the creature’s habitat tank.

“Octopuses are intelligent, inquisitive, and very strong,” said Glaze. “They have the ability to take apart even the smallest mechanical component – and often will do so just to entertain themselves. Other public aquariums have had great difficulties making a project like this successful.”

Glaze said the first concern was the health of the octopus, and then they had to make sure the camera would make it in such an environment.

Staff already had some experience with an underwater camera in the octopus tank, streaming feeds to children around the state in its various schools for interactive programs. One was recently streamed to kids in Iowa.

“None of the 20 students present had ever been to the Pacific Ocean let alone seen a live giant Pacific octopus,” said marine educator Kathryn Hawes. “They were all so full of questions. This tool opens up some remarkable teaching opportunities.”

The OctoCam has been undergoing testing for a few weeks with a limited audience of HMSC employees, volunteers and supporters.

“I can't stop watching,” one fascinated tester said. “This is just the coolest thing I've ever seen on the Internet.”

For more news about science, marine education and related activities on the Oregon coast, subscribe to “Breaking Waves,” the Oregon Sea Grant news blog, at: http://seagrant.oregonstate.edu/blogs/.

Help Name the Octopus!

This is exciting stuff, ladies and gents!

The National Zoo in Washington has acquired a new Giant Pacific Octopus, and they want YOUR help naming the little fella. Since it'll grow to be about 10 feet in length, it won't be a little fella for long.

The zoo has set up a web page for people to vote on one of four octopus-inspired names. Since the octopus has not reached sexual maturity yet, its sex cannot be determined, so the names selected can be applied to either gender. The choices are:

Olympus: This octopus arrived at the Zoo just before the 2010 Winter Olympics, and for many zoogoers the octopus gets a gold medal for being a compelling animal.

Ceph: Octopuses belong to the fascinating group of animals called cephalopods (class Cephalopoda), which means “head-foot.” The arms or feet (podos in Greek) of these animals are on the front of their head (“cephalo” comes from the Greek kephale, for head).

Octavius: “Octavius the Octopus” is more than just a pretty, alliterative name. The prefix “oct” means eight—that’s how many arms an octopus has, and “Octavius” was the Latin name traditionally given to the eighth child.

Vancouver: Home may be where the heart is—three hearts in the case of the octopus—and this octopus came the Zoo from an organization in Vancouver, British Columbia, at the end of January.

Click on the link below to cast your vote, and make your octopus-loving voice heard!

Name the Octopus

Video: Octopus Gets Jack-o-Lantern at NY Aquarium

In celebration of the season, here's an oldie but goodie. Red sea monster: Meet orange pumpkin! A jack-o-lantern stuffed with fresh fish is the kind of Halloween treat that Squirt, the New York Aquariums Giant Pacific Octopus, cant wait to get his tentacles on this time of year.

Georgia Aquarium's "Coldwater Quest" to Expand Octopus Exhibit

Georgia Aquarium, the world's largest aquarium has announced that they are expanding their facilities, and one of the upgrades will include an additional octopus!

The aquarium currently has one Giant Pacific Octopus. It has not yet been reported what species will be joining him in Coldwater Quest.

For the full scoop, click here.

Dance of the Giant Pacific Octopus

Since I don't spend much time deep sea diving, Youtube is my primary source for viewing the Giant Pacific Octopus. This video, shot by a visitor at the National Zoo, shows how graceful and delicate cephalopods truly are:

Celebrate Octopus Week at the Seattle Aquarium

It's the Ninth Annual Octopus Week at the Seattle Aquarium! Get out of the house during President's Day Weekend and mid-Winter break. Head on over to the Seattle Aquarium to learn about one of the coolest creatures in Puget Sound - the Octopus! Highlights include:

Ø Octopus Blind Date on Saturday, 2/14 at noon. Witness what happens when sixteen arms, six hearts (three hearts each) and two giant Pacific octopuses meet on Valentine’s Day. Aquarium biologists set the mood with decorative hearts, roses and romantic music at the Octopus Exhibit. But it’s up to the octopuses to decide whether or not love is in the water!

Ø Live octopus release on Sunday, 2/15 at noon

Ø Daily hands-on activities for kids, octopus feedings and talks

Ø Meet the Octopus Expert, Dr. Roland Anderson, on Wednesday, 2/18 at 11:00am

Ø Divers swimming with an octopus in the new Window on Washington Waters exhibit on 2/17, 2/19 & 2/21 at 11:30am

Ø Ninth annual giant Pacific octopus census 2/14-2/16. Puget Sound divers are asked to search for and report all octopus sightings to Aquarium staff over the three day weekend.

For a ceph-love like myself, this would be a very romantic Valentine's Day date spot!


Hubba, hubba, who wants some octopus lovin?

Giant Pacific Octopus Tried to Eat Sub

This is an oldie, but goodie!

From: Dailyrecod.co.uk, January 16, 2006

Written by: Cara Page

Giant octopus tries to devour a submarine

A GIANT octopus almost ate a submarine when the £75,000 craft invaded its territory.

The 18-foot sea monster wrapped its tentacles around the remote-controlled sub's cable and hauled itself towards it.

Then it grabbed the vehicle and tried to bite through its metal skin.

The sub's amazed controllers used its thrusters to fire sand and grit from the seabed at the octopus, forcing it to let go.

And when they got the vehicle to the surface, they found two pieces of tentacle, each as thick as a man's arm, still attached to it.

The 80lb octopus pounced as the ROV (remotely operated vehicle) tried to move a cable on the seabed.

Chris Tarmy, whose company supplied the sub, said yesterday: "The octopus was obviously irritated by the ROV. It was a terrifying sight as it came galloping along the cable to attack.

"These creatures have terrific jaws and the sub's surface pilot was very worried that we could have lost it. But as the octopus engulfed the ROV with its tentacles, the pilot slammed its thrusters into reverse.

"Luckily, after a bit of a battle, the octopus let go.

"When we got the ROV back to the surface, it had these two big bits of tentacle stuck to it."

The 110lb, four-foot sub, supplied by Hampshire firm Seaeye, was working off Vancouver Island in Canada when it was attacked.

It suffered no major damage and experts say the octopus's lost tentacles will grow back.

The Giant Pacific Octopus can grow as big as 600lb. The creature is known for its intelligence and can unscrew jars to get at food.

Chris joked: "Perhaps the octopus" fancied the ROV. I suppose it can get lonely down there."

Giant Pacific Octopus vs. Mr. Potato Head Video

Video description: By providing simple objects, like Mr. Potato Head and a plastic container, the octopus can practice a wide range of natural behaviors, such as foraging for food and investigating new items that look, smell, or feel different.

Check out our earlier post on the Giant Pacific Octopus to learn more about this fascinating species.

Species: Giant Pacific Octopus

Sometimes called the North Pacific Giant Octopus, The Giant Pacific Octopus lives along the coastal North Pacific region from California to Alaska and even to certain islands of Japan. It is the largest and longest living species of octopus. While most species have a lifespan of approximately two years, the Giant Pacific octopus has an average lifespan of four years. Like other species, they die shortly after breeding, with the female starving herself during the brooding period.

The most distinguishing feature of the Giant Pacific Octopus is its size. The average adult Giant Pacific octopus weighs 33 pounds and has an arm span of 14 feet, although some weigh as much as 100 pounds, and it has even been reported that one specimen weighed as much as 600 pounds, with an arm span of 30 feet.

When at rest, the Giant Pacific Octopus is a reddish-brown color. Like other species of octopus, Giant Pacific Octopus can contract or expand tiny pigments, known as chromatophores, in its cells and change the color of its skin to blend into its environment.

The Giant Pacific octopus feeds mostly on shrimp, crab, abalone, clams, fish, and scallops. There is also evidence to support that these enormous octopuses feed on sharks. To further support the belief that the Giant Pacific Octopus feeds on sharks, consumed shark carcasses have been found in the middens on the octopus.

Highly intelligent creatures, Giant Pacific Octopuses have learned to open jars, mimic other octopuses, and solve mazes in lab tests. Their population numbers are unknown, and they do not currently appear on any lists of endangered or vulnerable animals. However, they are sensitive to environmental conditions and may be suffering from high pollution levels in their range.