409 Dive Log Australasia December 24

may potentially drag the male to her den where she will eat him as what may be her last meal, or, if he’s lucky, he will escape the female and head back to his territory where, unfortunately due to the energy expended in mating, will die. It’s a hard life being an octopus sometimes. Now that our octopus has mated, her last job is to lay her eggs. Depending on the species, some octopus can lay up to 500 000 eggs but the reef octopus usually lays around 500. These eggs are laid in her den and she takes her final role as a mother very seriously. She will guard her eggs 24 hours a day, waft water over them to ensure a good supply of oxygen and pro tect them from predators. These duties can last up to three months and has priority over every thing, even feeding. During this time, her body will turn on her, and a slow death starts from starvation. She makes the ultimate sacrifice, usually dying just before the next generation hatches and the cycle starts all over again. Next time you see an octopus on your dive, re member how intelligent these complex animals are and just how many tricks they employ to get

Unidentified Octopus

them to where you have met them. They truly are wise beyond words.

Coconut Octopus

Mimic Octopus Thaumoctopus mimicus

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DIVE LOG Australasia #409 - December ‘24