The Clifford family was as prepared as possible to welcome Terrance the octopus. But there was one thing they missed: she was pregnant. And then she laid a whole lot of eggs.

After the eggs hatch, the mother octopus dies. Shrimps, snails, anemones and other organisms feed off the octopus’ carcass.

If you’re after the slightly more gory, there’s even some parasitic action, with the remnants of an insect egg that’s been parasitized by a wasp and some Toxoplasma gondii in a human skin cell.

Not just any pet. An octopus. Specifically, a California two-spot octopus, also known as a bimac. So, Cameron Clifford, a 36-year-old dentist in rural Oklahoma, did what many dads would do.

Discover and watch how this giant Pacific octopus mother lays down her life to make sure that her eggs are safe.

Brood times for nesting females there seemed to be about 1.8 years, while previous observations of a deep-sea octopus in cold water showed that it took 4.5 years for its eggs to hatch, a length of ...

Scientists have dubbed the spot off California "Octopus Garden." They say warm air from an extinct volcano speeds the hatching of eggs, cutting the risk the laid eggs will be eaten by predators.

The researchers found that eggs at this site hatch after about 21 months — far shorter than the four years or more it takes for other known deep-sea octopus eggs.

A female pearl octopus broods her eggs in 2022 at the "octopus garden" near the Davidson Seamount off the California coast. (MBARI) WASHINGTON — Most octopuses lead solitary lives.

Sepela et al., Cell 2025 A scanning electron micrograph showing a distinct array of bacteria on the surface of eggs that had been rejected by a brooding mother octopus. Sepela et al., Cell 2025 ...

It turns out Terrance was pregnant. And she laid dozens of eggs. Now Clifford and Cal, with help from a friend, are taking care of more than 20 tiny octopus babies, along with Terrance.

Most octopuses lead solitary lives. Scientists were startled to find thousands of octopus huddled together, protecting their eggs at the bottom of the ocean off the central California coast.