This deep-sea octopus spent four-and-a-half years brooding her eggs on a ledge near the bottom of Monterey Canyon, about 4,600 feet below the ocean’s surface. (MBARI © 2007)
Think 9 months of morning sickness and swollen ankles sounds rough?
Imagine being pregnant for 4 years.
In a new study published today, researchers from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute report a deep-sea octopus that tends its eggs for a mind-numbing 53 months.
The researchers discovered the female octopus during a routine deep-sea survey of Monterey Canyon in 2007. Using a remotely operated vehicle, they watched her brood a clutch of approximately 160 eggs nearly a mile below the ocean’s surface.
Liz Roth-Johnson 