These tiny octopus are very active swimmers and I must say were one of the most challenging animals I've ever tried to photograph. But after lots of failed attempts, I ended up with a few decent images under the microscope. Here are some nice examples of these wonderful octopus a few hours after hatching!
A rare view from the side:
And a close-up showing the small but well-developed suckers at the base of the arms:
Are you wondering just how small these octopus hatchlings are? Eric helped me with a short video clip to visualize their size. In the video, those are millimeter marks on the ruler below the octopus. (Video quality will be best with the smaller screen.)
The octopus are ~3.5 mm long when fully extended. That's much smaller than a grain of rice!
This is absolutely amazing to see, Jackie. Thank you so much for continuing to give us these updates, and particularly for this fascinating video. (Looks like those little guys are swimming on an underwater piano keyboard!)
ReplyDeleteIn the still images, I was struck by how other wordly they looked. Kind of skeletal.
ReplyDeleteIn the video, they were suddenly transformed into cute and cuddly. Spontaneous laughter.
Amazing photos and video, Jackie! Glad to have been able to follow Olive's story, and that you were both around for day 92 :) -Olivia
ReplyDeleteLOVE IT!
ReplyDeleteWhile watching the video I had The Way You Move by OutKast playing in the background - couldn't have been more perfect for watching those lil babies dance their lil chromatophores off.
Thank you Jackie!
ReplyDeleteWOW. What a beautiful story. I think it should be posted on the MB Aquarium site or something. These pictures, from laying to hatching, are incredible and a wonderful teaching tool. It makes me appreciate even more the amazing life of the Octopus! I'd love to dress Leven up as a baby octo for Halloween. -AH
ReplyDeleteSo cool! Do you have a picture with/of mama octopus?
ReplyDelete