Scientists have dubbed the spot off California 'Octopus Garden.' They say warm air from an extinct volcano speeds the hatching of eggs, cutting the risk the laid eggs will be eaten by predators.
Washington — Most octopuses lead solitary lives. So scientists were startled to find thousands of them huddled together, protecting their eggs at the bottom of the ocean off the central California coast.
The researchers calculated that the heated nest location more than halved the time it took for eggs laid there to hatch - reducing the risk of being munched by snails, shrimp and other predators. "It was completely incredible - we suddenly saw thousands of pearly-colored octopus, all upside down, with their legs up in the air and moving around. They were pushing away potential predators and turning over their eggs" for an even flow of water and oxygen, said National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration marine biologist Andrew DeVogelaere, a study co-author.
"After the hatchlings come out of the nest and swim off immediately into the dark, the mothers, who never left their nest and never appeared to feed during nesting, soon die," said James Barry, a biologist at the Monterey institute and co-author of the study.
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Here's why 6,000 octopuses like to be under the sea at an 'octopus garden'Over 6,000 octopuses have been found huddling around an extinct volcano deep in the Pacific Ocean near California, and researchers now think they understand why the octopuses find it so cozy.
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