Discovery of Octopus Nursery: A Milestone in Marine Conservation Efforts

 Discovery of Octopus Nursery: A Milestone in Marine Conservation Efforts

Octopus Nursery in Costa Rica

Oceanographers have discovered a breeding ground for octopuses nearly two miles deep from the sea surface off the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Costa Rica. They refer to this newly discovered breeding ground as an "octopus nursery."

Researchers consider this discovery to be significant for the surrounding area's marine conservation efforts. A team of twenty scientists found this breeding ground during a three-week expedition at the beginning of last month.

Jyotika Birmani, the director of the Alvaro Shmidt Ocean Institute, highlighted the importance of this discovery in a statement on the institute's website. She stated, "This discovery proves the existence of a new active octopus nursery, approximately 2,800 meters deep from the ocean surface in Costa Rica. We still have much to learn about the ocean."

This international team of scientists completed this marine expedition at the "Falkor" vessel, sponsored by the same institute.

In a previous expedition in 2013, scientists discovered a structure called the Dorado Outcrop where octopuses were observed brooding their eggs. Such occurrences were unknown to researchers before that time.

However, it was unclear whether this octopus nursery would persist. Deep-sea octopuses prefer a cold environment, while the water near the structure was warm due to a hydrothermal fluid flow.

Nevertheless, during the final mission, scientists confirmed the presence of an active nursery at the Dorado Outcrop. They observed the growth of octopus offspring after the hatching of their eggs. Prior to this discovery, researchers were unaware of the existence of such an octopus nursery in the nearby vicinity.

As a result of these two discoveries, there are now three recognized octopus nurseries near the Monterey Submarine Canyon in California, United States.

The octopuses found in the Costa Rican nursery are believed to be of the species Muusoctopus. These octopuses, ranging from small to medium size, inhabit the deep waters of the ocean and have no special adaptations for self-protection. They rely on the ability to change the color of their surroundings, creating a fluid camouflage to evade predators.