Terrance (octopus)

Last updated
Terrance
Personal information
BornLate 2022 or early 2023
DiedApril 22, 2024
Family aquarium, Edmond, Oklahoma
Children50
TikTok information
Page
Followers400000
Likes3500000
Genres Exotic pets, marine life
Years active2023-present

Last updated: April 19, 2024

Terrance the octopus is a pet California two-spot octopus (Octopus bimaculoides, nickname: bimac), which became popular following the unusual hatchling of 50 baby octopuses in captivity. [1] [2] Cared for by the Clifford family, the whole process from setting up successive aquariums, purchasing the octopus, caring for it and its hatchlings is video-documented online through the social network Tiktok.

Contents

Life

An octopus the same species as Terrance, but not them CaliforniaTwoSpotOctopus1.jpg
An octopus the same species as Terrance, but not them

Terrance is a California two-spot octopus (Octopus bimaculoides or "bimac"), a common pet octopus in the United States. Terrance's early life is not known, but its seller claimed to be a diver with a fishing license in California. [1] Terrance was bough through the Octopus News Magazine Online. It arrived on October 11, 2023 [1] after an overnight journey via UPS in a cardboard box, styrofoam insulation and plastic bag filled with air and seawater [3] at the Cliffords Edmond, Oklahoma house, already a mature adult. Bimacs having an overall life expectancy of 12 to 18 months, Terrance life expectancy is therefore short. [3]

Two months after their arrival and while though to be a male, [4] in December 2023, Terrance laid about 50 eggs, [1] a common behavior in the last live phase of female octopuses. [5] Female octopi care for their eggs, even if eggs laid in captivity are generally unfertilized. Surprisingly, those eggs hatched in February 2024, with 50 hatchlings. [1] Female octopi may delay laying and development of fertilized eggs when stressed until a more favorable situation is secured. It is believed Terrance mated before being caught and sold. [6]

To ensure their survival, emergent hatchlings were separated and put into individual housing, in order to avoid natural occurring cannibalization. [6]

Most hatchlings have been moved to an exotic pets room where they are fed live mysid shrimp daily and where a new 180-gallon tank being under preparation. [6]

Care takers

Terrance is mainly cared for by the whole 4-people Clifford family [7] from Edmond, Oklahoma since 11 October 2023. [1] The oldest child in the family has had a resilient passion for marine life and octopuses since 2 [6] or 3 [1] years old. The octopus arrived for their 9th birthday and he named it Terrance. [1] The Cliffords video-documented their earlier learning process, setting up stabilized aquariums ecosystems suitable for marine wild life, purchasing the octopus, caring for it and its hatchlings is online through the social network Tiktok, receiving more than 3 millions views. [1] [8]

Tim Tytle, 80, a former radiologist with experience with exotic pets such as geckos, sea horses, venomous lizards and octopuses has also been pivotal. [6] An intern has been hired to look for potential long term adopters. [1]

Following the hatching, the family researched related literatures, [6] reached out to marine life experts and invested thousands US dollars on tanks, water filters, water chillers, live crabs, snails and clams and in expanding the infrastructures to support the octopuses. [1]

Reception

Terrance hatchlings was covered by national news organisations such as The New York Times , [1] AP, [7] The Washington Post , [6] NPR [2] and others. The reception to Terrance and its hatchlings' captivity have been diverse. Commenters have been both enthusiastic and critical. [1]

Paul Clarkson, director of husbandry operations at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California, has praised the Cliffords for their dedication and care. [1] He praised the event and efforts shown as raising awareness about sea life and octopuses. [6] Both Clarkson and Jordan Baker at New England Aquarium in Boston nevertheless cautioned pet owners about the difficulty to care for an octopus, requiring full time dedication. [1]

Barbara J. King, a former anthropologist and primatologist at the College of William & Mary who wrote on octopuses, opposes holding them in captivity. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Octopus</span> Soft-bodied eight-limbed order of molluscs

An octopus is a soft-bodied, eight-limbed mollusc of the order Octopoda. The order consists of some 300 species and is grouped within the class Cephalopoda with squids, cuttlefish, and nautiloids. Like other cephalopods, an octopus is bilaterally symmetric with two eyes and a beaked mouth at the center point of the eight limbs. The soft body can radically alter its shape, enabling octopuses to squeeze through small gaps. They trail their eight appendages behind them as they swim. The siphon is used both for respiration and for locomotion, by expelling a jet of water. Octopuses have a complex nervous system and excellent sight, and are among the most intelligent and behaviourally diverse of all invertebrates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monterey Bay Aquarium</span> Nonprofit public aquarium in Monterey, California, United States

Monterey Bay Aquarium is a nonprofit public aquarium in Monterey, California. Known for its regional focus on the marine habitats of Monterey Bay, it was the first to exhibit a living kelp forest when it opened in October 1984. Its biologists have pioneered the animal husbandry of jellyfish and it was the first to successfully care for and display a great white shark. The organization's research and conservation efforts also focus on sea otters, various birds, and tunas. Seafood Watch, a sustainable seafood advisory list published by the aquarium beginning in 1999, has influenced the discussion surrounding sustainable seafood. The aquarium is the home of the current oldest living sea otter, Rosa, and the birthplace of Otter 841.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clownfish</span> Subfamily of fishes

Clownfish or anemonefish are fishes from the subfamily Amphiprioninae in the family Pomacentridae. Thirty species of clownfish are recognized: one in the genus Premnas, while the remaining are in the genus Amphiprion. In the wild, they all form symbiotic mutualisms with sea anemones. Depending on the species, anemonefish are overall yellow, orange, or a reddish or blackish color, and many show white bars or patches. The largest can reach a length of 17 cm, while the smallest barely achieve 7–8 cm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Budgerigar</span> Small, long-tailed, seed-eating parakeet

The budgerigar, also known as the common parakeet, shell parakeet or budgie, is a small, long-tailed, seed-eating parrot. Naturally, the species is green and yellow with black, scalloped markings on the nape, back, and wings. Budgies are bred in captivity with colouring of blues, whites, yellows, greys, and even with small crests. Juveniles and chicks are monomorphic, while adults are told apart by their cere colouring, and their behaviour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ocean sunfish</span> Species of fish

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheloniidae</span> Family of turtles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow tang</span> Species of fish

The yellow tang, also known as the lemon sailfin, yellow sailfin tang or somber surgeonfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Acanthuridae which includes the surgeonfishes, unicornfishes and tangs. It is one of the most popular marine aquarium fish. It is bright yellow in color, and it lives in reefs. The yellow tang spawn around a full moon. The yellow tang eats algae. The yellow tang has a white barb, located just before the tail fin, to protect itself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leafy seadragon</span> Species of fish

The leafy seadragon or Glauert's seadragon, is a marine fish. It is the only member of the genus Phycodurus in the family Syngnathidae, which includes seadragons, pipefish, and seahorses.

<i>Opisthoteuthis californiana</i> Species of cephalopod known as the flapjack octopus

Opisthoteuthis californiana, also known as the flapjack octopus, or flapjack devilfish is a species of umbrella octopus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vancouver Aquarium</span> Aquarium in Canada

The Vancouver Aquarium is a public aquarium located in Stanley Park in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In addition to being a major tourist attraction for Vancouver, the aquarium is a centre for marine research, ocean literacy education, climate activism, conservation and marine animal rehabilitation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common seadragon</span> Species of fish

The common seadragon or weedy seadragon is a marine fish of the order Syngnathiformes, which also includes the similar pipefishes, seahorses, and trumpetfishes among other species. Adult common seadragons are a reddish colour, with yellow and purple striped markings; they have small, leaf-like appendages that resemble kelp or seaweed fronds, providing camouflage, as well as a number of short spines for protection. As with seahorses and the other syngnathids, the seadragon has a similarly tubular snout and a fused, toothless jaw into which it captures small invertebrate prey at lightning speed. Males have narrower bodies and are darker than females. Seadragons have a long dorsal fin along the back and small pectoral fins on either side of the neck, which provide balance. Weedy seadragons can reach 45 cm (18 in) in length.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hatchling</span>

In oviparous biology, a hatchling is a newly hatched fish, amphibian, reptile, or bird. A group of mammals called monotremes lay eggs, and their young are hatchlings as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California two-spot octopus</span> Species of cephalopod

The California two-spot octopus, often simply called a "bimac", is an octopus species native to many parts of the Pacific Ocean including the coast of California. One can identify the species by the circular blue eyespots on each side of its head. Bimacs usually live to be about two years old. They are closely related to Verrill's two-spot octopus. In 2015, the genome was sequenced.

<i>Doryteuthis opalescens</i> Species of Cephalopoda

Doryteuthis opalescens, the opalescent inshore squid or market squid, is a small species of squid in the family Loliginidae. It is a myopsid squid, a near shore group with corneas over their eyes. The species is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean from Baja California, Mexico to Alaska, United States, and as an inshore squid can be found within a range of 200 miles (320 km) off the coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giant Pacific octopus</span> Species of cephalopod

The giant Pacific octopus, also known as the North Pacific giant octopus, is a large marine cephalopod belonging to the genus Enteroctopus and Enteroctopodidae family. Its spatial distribution encompasses much of the coastal North Pacific, from the Mexican state of Baja California, north along the United States' West Coast, and British Columbia, Canada; across the northern Pacific to the Russian Far East, south to the East China Sea, the Yellow Sea, the Sea of Japan, Japan's Pacific east coast, and around the Korean Peninsula. It can be found from the intertidal zone down to 2,000 m (6,600 ft), and is best-adapted to colder, oxygen- and nutrient-rich waters. It is one of the largest octopus species on earth and can often be found in aquariums and research facilities in addition to the ocean. E. dofleini play an important role in maintaining the health and biodiversity of deep sea ecosystems, cognitive research, and the fishing industry.

<i>Gonatus onyx</i> Species of squid

Gonatus onyx is in the class Cephalopoda and in the phylum Mollusca. It is also known as the clawed arm hook squid or the black-eyed squid. It got these names from the characteristic black eye and from its two arms with clawed hooks on the end that extend a bit further than the other arms. It is a squid in the family Gonatidae, found most commonly in the northern Pacific Ocean from Japan to California. They are one of the most abundant cephalopods off the coast of California, mostly found at deeper depths, rising during the day most likely to feed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caribbean reef octopus</span> Species of cephalopod

The Caribbean reef octopus is a coral reef marine animal. It has eight long arms that vary in length and diameter. In comparison to the arms, the mantle is large and bulky. This species is difficult to describe because it changes color and texture to blend into its surroundings, using specialised skin cells known as chromatophores. Its color range is very large; it can change from crimson to green, and bumpy to smooth. It weighs around 3.3 lb or 1.5 kg.

<i>Speleomantes strinatii</i> Species of amphibian

Speleomantes strinatii, the French cave salamander, North-west Italian cave salamander, or Strinati's cave salamander is a small species of salamander found in northwest Italy and southeast France. It is very similar in appearance to the Italian cave salamander, but has a paler belly.

<i>Octopus bimaculatus</i> Species of octopus

Octopus bimaculatus, commonly referred to as Verrill's two-spot octopus, is a similar species to the Octopus bimaculoides, a species it is often mistaken for. The two can be distinguished by the difference in the blue and black chain-like pattern of the ocelli. O. bimaculatus hunt and feed on a diverse number of benthic organisms that also reside off the coast of Southern California. Once the octopus reaches sexual maturity, it shortly dies after mating, which is approximately 12–18 months after hatching. Embryonic development tends to be rapid due to this short lifespan of these organisms.

<i>Amphioctopus aegina</i> Species of mollusc

Amphioctopus aegina, commonly referred to as the marbled octopus or the sandbird octopus, is a bottom dwelling species residing in the coastal zone of the Indo-West Pacific. Planktonic hatchlings and eggs are laid by females predominantly during the months of January and October, however they have been known to reproduce year-round.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Levenson, Michael (April 11, 2024). "The Joys and Challenges of Caring for Terrance the Octopus". The New York Times .
  2. 1 2 Jordan-Marie, Smith; Handel, Sarah (April 9, 2024). "Terrance the octopus came to live with a family. Then she laid dozens of eggs".
  3. 1 2 "Family documents pet octopus giving birth to 50 babies on TikTok". The Independent. 2024-04-10. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  4. Magazine, Smithsonian; Sullivan, Will. "Family Accidentally Ends Up With 50 Baby Octopuses After Their Pet—Thought to Be Male—Laid Dozens of Eggs". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
  5. Vevers, H. G. (September 1961). "Observations on the laying and hatching of octopus eggs in the society's aquarium". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 137 (2): 311–315. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1961.tb05904.x. ISSN   0370-2774.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Paúl, María Luisa (2024-04-13). "They got their son a pet octopus. Weeks later, there were 50 more". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  7. 1 2 "A 9-year-old boy's dream of a pet octopus is a sensation as thousands follow Terrance's story online". AP News. 2024-04-15. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  8. "@Doctoktopus". www.tiktok.com. Retrieved 2024-04-19.