May 9, 2021: Warty Octopod
Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Windows to the Deep 2019. Download larger version (jpg, 1.5 MB).
Many warty octopods were seen in brooding posters like this one, tucked into crevices and small cave-like areas in the rock surface during Dive 17 of the Windows to the Deep 2019 expedition. The eggs of the octopod can be seen to the left of its arm, hanging from the ceiling of the crevice. Watch a video of these devoted mothers.
An octopod of the same genus, but along the Pacific coast, was found to guard eggs for upwards of four years, suggesting that this devoted mother could be protecting her eggs, without leaving even for food, for a very long time.
Happy Mother’s Day!