Aquarium on North Oregon Coast Will Soon Have Thousands of Babies

Octopus laying her eggs

(Seaside, Oregon) – At the Seaside Aquarium - one of the Oregon coast's biggest tourist attractions - a female Rubescense octopus may have laid her eggs a few weeks ago, but she’ll soon be mother to as many as 3,000 babies at any time now.

Aquarium spokesman Tiffany Boothe said octopuses lay about 2,000 to 3,000 eggs, usually in July through September. They then hatch in February through May of the following year.

When they hatch, they will resemble miniature octopuses.

“We will keep some on display and the rest we plan to release into a protected intertidal area where their chances for survival are greater,” Boothe said.

Close up of the eggs (Tiffany Boothe)

A Rubescense octopus has a two-year life cycle, laying their eggs once after a year of growth, then dying.

Boothe said these type of octopuses hatch as planktonic larvae that feed on zooplankton. “They then settle down as a benthic organism, using shells, bottles, and other small shelters as dens. Animals in the laboratory have even buried themselves in sand or gravel substrate when nothing else is available.”

Boothe said octopuses are probably the most highly evolved mollusks in the ocean. “The eye is similar in structure to the vertebrate, or human, eye, and they have excellent vision, although it is believed that they cannot see color as we do,” she said. “Studies of learning reveal a high level of intelligence, and their learning abilities probably parallel a rat.”

A closer look at the eggs (Tiffany Boothe)

The scientific name for this kind of creature is Octopus Rubescens, and Boothe said it is a generalist carnivore. “That means that they basically eat whatever meat they can catch, wherever they happen to live,” she said. “Prey ranges from crabs to barnacles, and may include gastropods, like snails, and bivalves, like clams. Spiral shell snails are eaten by drilling a hole in the shell and injecting a paralyzing toxin.

"Once the toxin takes effect, the snail is withdrawn from the shell and consumed. Bivalves and small crabs may be consumed in a similar manner.”

Social behavior between members of this species is limited to mating, otherwise they battle each other. “It appears that they just don't like each other very much, and live solitary lives whenever possible,” Boothe said.

Boothe said Octopus Rubescens can assume a wide range of colors, from solid colors like yellow, brown and red to a variety of mottled colors, with white spots, sometimes appearing on the arms. Skin color may be influenced by local environmental conditions.

Seaside Aquarium, on the Prom. 503-738-6211.

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