News
Octopus: Passionate, fluid and subtly dissimulating
Romantic, creative and almost human in their home building behaviour, octopus feed on crabs, crayfish and molluscs, and the shells are often found around their octopus castles which are distinctive barriers of shells around the mouth of their burrows, and worth looking for around rocks and on rubble bottoms. A hole is converted into a des-res octopus style.
One of the most erotic events I have ever watched on the reef was on Whale Rock in Mauritius.
Exposed to the violence of the open ocean, Whale rock has few corals, but massive topography and a large and varied fish population. There we found 2 octopus behaving strangely. One of them was huge, maroon, and edging around the rock towards another huge octopus. This one was green. Octopus normally change colour according to their surroundings, so this was unusual. After a while the big red guy began to push a long black tentacle towards the green one- who began to go pale. Was this the beginning of a territorial battle? But it was not fear, it turned out to be passion.
The red guy was the male, and he was in fact offering the green female octopus a sperm parcel on his extended tentacle. When octopuses reproduce, the male uses a specialized arm to transfer the parcel from his reproductive organ into the female’s mantle cavity. The male often dies within a few weeks of mating, while the female can keep the sac stored for some months.
She was very shy, almost skittish, and flirted with him, turning white and green and edging towards him then darting away. Eventually he thrust the parcel under one of her tentacles, and she rose up into a parachute form, and turned pure white, looking just like a human bride.
Then she seemed to go into a trance and her colour subsided back to the normal greyish colour, before they turned their backs on one another and slithering off in opposite directions. She would hold the parcel safely until her eggs were ready to fertilize. Once they have been fertilized, the female lays sometimes as many as 200,000 eggs, most of which will not survive.
Octopus can hide in plain sight, simply by changing shape and colour to protect themselves. We watched a Tomato spotted rock cod attacking an octopus. The octopus immediately changed colour and shape to exactly mimic the shape and colour of the rock cod.
There are around 300 recognized octopus species. Octopuses do not have tentacles, they actually have 4 pairs of arms, three hearts, 2 eyes and one beak. They walk, run and swim using their arms, and if they are disturbed and afraid they will use jet propulsion to get away. If they are in mortal danger they will release a cloud of ink which contains a chemical that obscures their scent and confuses predators.
The rare and special ones can be found in Mauritius and in Indonesia where we found the mimic octopus, which has extremely long arms, and which readily mimics the surrounding fish life.
All octopus are poisonous to some extent, but the rarest, and the only one deadly to humans if the exquisite, minute blue ringed octopus, found in Indonesia and Australia.
We went to the Lembeh Straits to film him, and we really expected to see something spectacular. For two days we searched the sandy slopes and rubble bottoms. On the third day I spotted a large cockroach scuttling on its front legs along the sand. A cockroach under the sea? I pushed my Go Pro towards him, to get a close-up and he swelled up to twice the size and began to pulsate and flash iridescent blue circles. He was not a cockroach at all. He was a blue ringed octopus. The flash bulbs went crazy as the professional photographers shot pics of him, but he disappeared down a hole before I could film him.
Words Jill Holloway
Pic David Holloway
Copyright Ocean Spirit
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Renowned anti-whaling activist Paul Watson has been released from custody in Greenland after spending five months in detention. Denmark’s Justice Ministry rejected Japan’s request for his extradition, citing insufficient guarantees that his time already served in custody would be credited against any potential sentence.
The 74-year-old Canadian-American was arrested on July 21 in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, when his ship docked to refuel. His arrest was based on a 2012 Japanese warrant related to a 2010 encounter in Antarctic waters. Japan alleged Watson obstructed operations and caused damage to a whaling research ship during efforts to disrupt illegal whaling. Watson has consistently denied these claims, maintaining his commitment to marine conservation.
Denmark, which oversees extradition matters for Greenland, concluded that while the legal conditions for extradition were met, the lack of assurances from Japan regarding time-served credit made extradition untenable.
In a video shared by his foundation, Watson expressed gratitude and relief, saying, “After five months, it’s good to be out… and good to know they’re not sending me to Japan.” He added that the most difficult part of his time in custody was being separated from his two young sons.
Watson is a pioneering figure in marine conservation, known for founding the Captain Paul Watson Foundation in 2022 after decades of activism with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. His bold efforts to defend marine life have earned him widespread support, including from celebrities and conservationists. His work has also been featured in the acclaimed reality TV series Whale Wars.
Watson’s lawyer, Jonas Christoffersen, praised the decision, stating, “We are happy and relieved that Paul Watson is now free.” He added that Watson is eager to reunite with his family and continue his vital work.
The arrest occurred while Watson’s vessel, the M/Y John Paul DeJoria, was en route to the North Pacific with a team of 26 volunteers to intercept a Japanese whaling ship. His foundation described the arrest as politically motivated and emphasized that Watson’s actions were focused on ending illegal whaling practices.
Japan resumed commercial whaling in 2019 after leaving the International Whaling Commission, asserting that whale meat is a cultural tradition. Conservationists, however, continue to challenge these practices, highlighting their impact on marine ecosystems.
Despite the challenges, Watson remains steadfast in his mission to protect marine life and bring attention to whaling practices. His dedication to ocean conservation has made him a globally respected advocate for the environment.
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