[Octopus]: Ocho - A. Aculeatus Finally received a octopus

[stevenfolly]

A little update on Ocho. She is feeding regularly and seeming to be doing pretty well. You can see the tentical growth in the video.

 

[DWhatley]

Lots of arm growth

I am 99% sure Ocho is male. The one percent is because the video is speeded up and aculeatus don't hold still much anyway . Observe how he generally keeps R3 (third right arm clockwise as you orient your eyes with the octopus').

 

[stevenfolly]

I did think that but I was not sure. He does it with two tentacles but mainly with R3. Ocho curls the tentacle and will extend the other as normally with out changing the one. Does this mean he is not a juvenile?

 

[DWhatley]

It means he is likely sexually mature. Most of the Abdopus we see are adults when captured (gauging from their longevity). The few we have thought were quite young were not aculeatus and were a full grown alternate (still likely in the Abdopus complex but a nocturnal species). It is very hard to try to gauge age in most octopuses once they are sexually mature as their sizes vary considerably. One thing you need to keep in mind with the small egg species is that they don't even settle out of the plankton until they are about 1 month old. Sadly, attempts at raising small egg species are abysmal. Even the large egg species don't often produce many offspring in captivity that survive through adulthood.