The octopuses appeared suddenly in California’s Monterey Bay and scientists and educators in the Nautilus were the first to see them. This is a vessel that belongs to the Ocean Exploration Trust and it was engaged in charting previously unseen marine life in the region. The scientists were recording and capturing the images on a regular basis to study different types of marine life in the coast.
Los Angeles Times reports that on a scrutiny of the images, the scientists realized they had discovered a nursery of the octopuses in Monterey Bay when they saw clusters of whites. This area is a federally protected area and the creatures were apparently protecting their eggs. Their bodies had assumed positions meant to protect.
It was a great discovery
The very sight of hundreds of them against the rocky background was a great discovery for the team. They looked like “bright dots glowing in the dark ocean.” In the words of Chad King, lead scientist of the project, the find was “mind-blowing.” He is a marine biologist with the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
There is only one report of a similar gathering but of a smaller size. It was in Costa Rica and the numbers were hardly 100.
The Nautilus research team observed the octopuses for a long time and noticed that they had lined up in the cracks of the rocks. Some fluid appeared to be seeping from the cracks, and they lay close to the fluid. It is possible that there is some connection between the two. In the opinion of Chad King, the octopuses might have chosen the area because of the warm fluid or because the level of oxygen in the region was high. Whatever it is, it will require a detailed study to establish any relation between the fluid and the egg laying.
More than 1000 octopuses in Monterey Bay
The octopuses that have arrived in Monterey Bay are a species that are small and belong to the deep-water variety. They also do not have an ink sac. According to ABC7 Chicago, researchers associated with the Nautilus Live mission saw the large population of female mollusks at a depth of nearly two miles below the surface. Biologists of the Ocean Exploration Trust confirmed that the species do not usually gather in such large numbers. Hence, this is an unusual phenomenon. Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary is larger in area than Yellowstone National Park. The creatures have chosen a relatively unexplored area of the bay and scientists must delve deep to find out probable reasons and whether it is linked to global warming and climate change.