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Octopus Senescence: The Beginning of the End

Authors:

Abstract

Senescence is a normal stage of an octopus's life cycle that often occurs before death. Some of the following symptoms typify it: lack of feeding, retraction of skin around the eyes, uncoordinated movement, increased undirected activity, and white unhealing lesions on the body. There is inter- and intraspecific variability. Senescence is not a disease or a result of disease, although diseases can also be a symptom of it. Both males and females go through a senescent stage before dying-the males after mating, the females while brooding eggs and after the eggs hatch. There are many aspects of octopus senescence that have not yet been studied. This study discusses the ecological implications of senescence.
Octopus Senescence:
The Beginning of the End
Roland C. Anderson
The Seattle Aquarium
Seattle, Washington
James B. Wood
National Resource Center for Cephalopods
University of Texas Medical Branch
Ruth A. Byrne
Department of XXX
University of Vienna
Senescence is a normal stage of an octopus’s life cycle that often occurs before death.
Some of the following symptoms typify it: lack of feeding, retraction of skin around
the eyes, uncoordinated movement, increased undirected activity, and white
unhealing lesions on the body. There is inter- and intraspecific variability. Senes
-
cence is not a disease or a result of disease, although diseases can also be a symptom of
it. Both males and females go through a senescent stage before dying—the males after
mating, the females while brooding eggs and after the eggs hatch. There are many as
-
pects of octopus senescence that have not yet been studied. This study discusses the
ecological implications of senescence.
A public aquarium or scientist frequently calls one of us about a sick octopus.
For example, a large male giant Pacific octopus (GPO), Enteroctopus dofleini,
held in captivity for 6 months is not eating and is losing weight. The octopus is
acting strange—not going into his lair and moving around the tank in the open
much of the time. As time progresses, his skin develops lesions, and this nonhu
-
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ANIMAL WELFARE SCIENCE, 5(4), 275–283
Copyright © 2002, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
Requests for reprints should be sent to Roland C. Anderson, The Seattle Aquarium, 1483 Alaskan
Way, Seattle, WA 98101. E-mail: roland.anderson@seattle.gov
man animal loses coordination. People notice, and, inevitably, they start asking
about the welfare of the animal. We have seen this pattern before. For example,
at The Seattle Aquarium a GPO named Clyde (in honor of the cephalopod biolo
-
gist Dr. Clyde Roper) weighed 18 kg when he was collected. He thrived in cap
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tivity for 5 months and grew to a size of 32 kg but then stopped eating. He lost
10 kg over months, 32% of his body weight, before dying. He crawled all
over his tank, even into stinging sea anemones that he normally avoided. His
eyes were prominent and seemed larger than normal. This animal had the symp
-
toms of octopus senescence, a precursor to his death.
To understand octopus senescence, it is necessary first to understand the life
history of octopuses. We are familiar with the reproductive patterns typical of
mammals; they can reproduce several times during their life span; that is, they are
iteroparous. Almost all octopuses are semelparous, meaning they reproduce once
and then die (Mangold, 1987). Salmon, cicadas, and century plants are other exam
-
ples of semelparous organisms (Stearns, 1992).
Many animals have life spans that last many years. In general, mollusks other
than cephalopods are smaller but often live for many years (Morton, 1967). Powell
and Cummins (1985) reported several gastropods and bivalves who live for more
than 50 years. However, cephalopods “live fast and die young,” a motto O’Dor and
Webber (1986) borrowed from the Hell’s Angels and applied to cephalopods.
Even the GPO, who frequently reach a size of 50 kg, only live about 3 years
(Hartwick, 1983). The very small sepiolid Idiosepius pygmaeus lives for only 80
days (Lewis & Choat, 1993). Most other octopuses only live a year (Hanlon &
Messenger, 1996), although this depends on size at maturity and temperature at
which the species lives. Animals who mature at large sizes and live in colder water
tend to have longer life spans (Wood & O’Dor, 2000).
Octopuses are born, grow rapidly, mature, mate, and—if female—brood eggs.
Then they die. Males generally die about the same time as the females (Hanlon,
1983a; Mangold, 1983a; Van Heukelem, 1983), but male GPOs (Hartwick, 1983)
and O. vulgaris (Mangold, 1983b) may live longer than females. Death may be pro
-
longed into a senescent state, but for most species it is inevitable once an octopus has
reproduced. In the wild, a senescent octopus who is not camouflaged and who is
moving around inordinately is likely to quickly become part of the food chain.
Senescence occurs at the end of a mature octopus’s natural life span and often
lasts for a period of a month or more. However, there are other reasons octopuses
may experience senescence-like symptoms that are animal welfare issues. Poor
water quality (lack of dissolved oxygen, low pH, pollutants), incorrect tempera
-
ture, collecting stress, and disease (Budelmann, 1998) also can cause these symp
-
toms and even death in captive octopuses.
The physiological processes by which senescence occurs are fairly well known
(Tait, 1986, 1987). The process is driven by secretions from the optic gland (Tait,
1987; Wodinsky, 1977) that elicit ripening of the reproductive organs, inactivation
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of the posterior salivary and digestive glands, and cessation of appetite, which nor
-
mally causes death by starvation after reproduction. Activation of the optic gland
appears to be affected by environmental factors such as light, temperature, and nu
-
trition that, thus, ultimately control reproduction and life span (Van Heukelem,
1979). The behavioral aspects of senescence have been less remarked on but have
been casually known for millennia. Aristotle stated, “[T]he females after giving
birth become stupid, and are not aware of being tossed about in the water, but it
is easy to dive and catch them by hand” (cited in Balme, 1991, p. XXX).
The purpose of this article is to document the indicators of senescence, both
physical and behavioral, that we have observed in several cold, temperate, and
tropical octopuses. We hope that knowledge of the senescence phenomenon will
help aquarists and researchers understand what is happening to their animals as
they grow old. We cite what is known about octopus senescence. Such knowledge
is perforce limited, and we draw on our own observations to expand the knowledge
of its occurrence.
SYMPTOMS OF SENESCENCE
Four conditions or activities are all indicators of octopus senescence. These are
(a) loss of appetite and lack of feeding leading to weight loss, (b) retraction of
the skin around the eye, (c) undirected or uncoordinated activity, and (d) the oc-
currence of white lesions on the skin.
Many researchers and aquarists have noted the loss of appetite in both male
and female octopuses at this stage, and it is fairly well documented (Cortez, Cas-
tro, & Guerra, 1995; Hanlon, 1983a, 1983b; Joll, 1983; Mangold, 1983; Tait,
1986, 1987; Van Heukelem, 1977, 1979; Wodinsky, 1977, 1978). It has been
posited that such fasting is what inevitably leads to the animal’s death by starva
-
tion (Tait, 1987).
The eyes of octopuses stay the same size while the body shrinks as the animal
loses weight. This causes the skin around the eyes to retreat, making the eyes more
visible.
The increased activity at the start of senescence is undirected activity (particu
-
larly in males). It is not hunting, foraging, or performing other activities with a pur
-
pose. O’Dor and Wells (1978) showed that both starved and senescent female
octopuses used dissolution of muscle tissue as fuel, which kept the metabolic rate
at an unnaturally high level. A study on activity patterns of Octopus vulgaris at the
Konrad Lorenz Institute showed that senescent males were statistically more ac
-
tive than normal males (Meisel, 2002). The undirected activity of senescent males
should not be confused with perseverating activity (“pacing”) of bored octo
-
puses—this may be alleviated with proper environmental enrichment (Anderson
& Wood, 2001; Dickel, Boal, & Budelmann, 2000; Wood & Wood, 1999) as it is
THE BEGINNING OF THE END 277
in other animals (Shephardson, 1998). This undirected activity may be related to
mate searching. It is not known whether senescent males can still successfully
mate a female, whether they still have spermatophores, or whether they have the
“mental capacity” to mate.
The occurrence of white lesions on a senescent octopus has been the subject of
controversy and discussion (Budelmann, 1998; Reimschuessel & Stoskopf, 1990).
A young octopus, in good condition and in good water quality, can sustain an in
-
jury that may cause such lesions. However, Hanlon (1983a) remarked that the skin
deteriorates during the 2- to 4-week senescence of both male and female O.
briareus. “Skin damage usually leads to infection only in old animals” (Mangold,
1983b, p. 359). Van Heukelem (1977) stated that the healing processes of octo
-
puses are shut off during senescence, so skin injuries may become secondarily in
-
fected with Aeromonas, Vibrio, and Staphylococcus bacteria (Reimschuessel &
Stoskopf, 1990).
MALE SENESCENCE
A male octopus’s senescent condition begins after maturity. A male may mate
more than one female and may mate the same female more than once (Mangold,
1983b). There is evidence that both sexes are promiscuous and that there is
sperm competition among males (Cigliano, 1995; Mangold, 1987). Males may
use their spatulate ligulas on their third right arms to remove another male’s
stored sperm in a female (Hanlon & Messenger, 1996). A male’s supply of sper-
matophores (sperm packets he passes into the female) may be limited. Whether
they can make more and how long it would take them to do so if they can is un
-
known, but “mating is highly unlikely to exhaust males (referring to Octopus
vulgaris)” (p. XXX), according to Mangold (1983b).
Other octopus species have a very limited number of spermatophores at any one
time, which may limit their chance to mate successfully. GPOs have only 10 sper
-
matophores (Mann, Martin, & Thiebsch, 1970), and the deep-sea octopus
Bathypolypus arcticus typically has only 3 or 4 (O’Dor & Macalaster, 1983) avail
-
able for use. Although it has been reported that there is permanent production and
release of spermatophores in male Octopus vulgaris (Mangold, 1983b), it is not
known if this is true for other species or if it occurs after the onset of senescence.
Male and female octopuses both go into senescence, but females typically
brood fertile eggs during this time, an activity with a clear and necessary reproduc
-
tive purpose. Unlike in females, senescence in male octopuses occurs without as
clear a sign that they are at the end of their lives. The best sign that males are be
-
coming senescent is their lack of appetite. They stop eating, and their bodies begin
to deteriorate. They can survive a surprisingly long time without eating. At The Se
-
attle Aquarium, male GPOs (N = 7) stopped eating a mean of 48 days (range = 14
278
ANDERSON, WOOD, BYRNE
to 76 days) and lost a mean 17.4% of their body weight (range = 4.3% to 32.1%)
before dying. Gabe’s (1975) male GPO died 54 days after mating.
At the Konrad Lorenz Institute, senescence was monitored in three male O.
vulgaris. They stopped eating a mean of 131 days (range = 79 to 188 days) before
dying. They did not stop eating suddenly but gradually ate less and less. Two of the
O. vulgaris had small white lesions for 248 and 257 days before their deaths; these
lesions increased in number and size prior to death. An O. macropus died 165 days
after his last mating. During this time, he rarely ate the food given, and was never
seen during the day, but was very active at night, mostly swimming and jetting.
Undirected activity of a senescent male octopus is likely to get him in trouble by
exposing him to predators. Senescent males are much more likely to escape from
captivity because of their increased activity (personal observation), and senescent
male GPOs and Octopus rubescens are frequently found crawling out of the water
onto the beach. Senescent males have been found even in river mouths, going up
-
stream (personal observation).
A study on the biorhythms of O. vulgaris showed that a senescent male animal
spent 80% of his time active, compared to three subadult males who spent an aver-
age 41% of their time active (Meisel, 2002).
Undirected movement of senescent male octopuses is also frequently observed
with uncoordinated activity. They look as if they have forgotten how to crawl or
swim properly; they lose their balance and appear to “trip” over their own arms,
and they do not seem to control their own bodies. Senescent octopuses may even
eat their own arms. Again, this is different from the bacteria-caused disease that
causes autophagy in previously healthy octopuses of any age (Budelmann, 1998).
In a study of visual control of arm movements in O. vulgaris, it was possible to
see the progression of one animal toward senescent behavior (U. Griebel, personal
communication, May 1, 2002). The animals were presented a transparent plexiglas
T-maze. The octopuses had to learn to look first and then make the right choice for
the reward. Before senescence, one male performed 68% of the right choices; af
-
terward, however, he fell back to chance level (48%). Not only did the animal’s
performance decrease, but so did his willingness to perform the trials.
FEMALE SENESCENCE
Although the term senescence typically is used in referring to the condition in
male octopuses, females also may develop signs of senescence. Senescence in
females is especially apparent in those who are brooding eggs, have survived af
-
ter the eggs hatched, or are removed from their eggs. While brooding eggs, fe
-
males do not leave them, and they reduce or stop feeding (Mangold, 1987). They
guard the eggs from predators and clean and oxygenate their eggs (Cosgrove,
1993; Gabe, 1975). To provide the energy to do this, they metabolize their own
THE BEGINNING OF THE END 279
bodies. In the wild, female GPOs lost 50% to 71% of their body weight while
brooding eggs (Cosgrove, 1993). In captivity, female Octopus mimus lost 25%
of their body weight (Cortez et al., 1995); O. cyanea, 36% (Van Heukelem,
1976); and O. vulgaris, 50% (O’Dor & Wells, 1987). At The Seattle Aquarium,
female GPOs lost a mean of 49.5% of body weight, whereas female O.
rubescens lost a mean 50.3% of their body weight before dying.
If a female survives after her eggs have hatched, she will be senescent. She
probably will not eat, she may not shelter in a den, and she will not behave like a
healthy octopus because she is dying. There are a few exceptions to this general
pattern. Several female GPOs have been reported to continue to eat during the first
part of egg guarding as have a few Octopus vulgaris (Mangold, 1983b). Tait
(1987) exclaimed, “There is no such thing as a ‘typical octopus!’” (p. XXX). There
are a few species like O. chierchiae who lay more than one batch of eggs and con
-
tinue to feed and grow between batches of eggs (Rodaniche, 1984). However, the
typical pattern is for females to die when their eggs hatch. They already show some
symptoms of senescence similar to males while they are brooding, and those who
survive past brooding act in the same way as senescent males.
Most cephalopods held in captivity who do not have a chance to mate will not
spawn normally (Boyle, 1991). Most researchers do not keep adult octopuses to-
gether as they are cannibalistic (Hanlon & Forsythe, 1985); under such conditions,
females are much more likely to lay infertile eggs or not lay eggs. Egg-bound fe-
males do not appear to have a longer life span (Boyle, 1991). We have observed that
the unmated females of some species (Enteroctopus dofleini, Octopus briareus, O.
vulgaris, and Bathypolypus arcticus) lay infertile eggs and also become senescent.
They stopped eating; laid scattered, infertile eggs (unlike the dense egg mass of a
normal female); or laid and brooded infertile eggs. If they are not brooding, they of
-
ten are more active, out in the open, and noticeably physically deteriorating.
DISCUSSION
The life history stage of senescence prior to dying is typical for many cephalo
-
pods but not other mollusks. Senescence is likely part of an adaptive program
that is hormonally regulated in this class (Tait, 1986). Hormonal control of octo
-
puses’ life cycles has been fairly well studied (Mangold, 1987), and senescence
is a direct result of such control (Tait, 1986). Wodinsky (1977) found that re
-
moval of optic glands in female Octopus filosus made them cease brooding, start
feeding again, and live longer than normal. This experiment has not yet been
performed on male octopuses. If it were, it might be possible to grow a
“supermale” who lives longer and grows larger than normal. Such features
would be valued by public aquariums where octopuses are popular display ani
-
mals (Carlson & Delbeek, 1999).
280
ANDERSON, WOOD, BYRNE
Many aquarists have observed and remarked on the increased activity of some
senescent male octopuses (Anderson, 1987; Anderson & Martin, 2002). Such ac
-
tivity may lead to a greater propensity to escape an enclosure. We do not know if
senescent males still (a) can mate, (b) possess viable sperm and spermatophores,
and (c) can produce more spermatophores—and, if so, for how long once they
have reached senescence. Their activity during senescence may be related to an in
-
creased urge to mate. Because senescent males will soon die, they may have little
to lose, and their best strategy to pass on their genes may be to seek further oppor
-
tunities to mate by being more active.
At the end of life, the brooding behavior of females is clearly a necessary com
-
ponent of reproduction for octopuses. Female octopuses likely must balance en
-
ergy allocated to both producing eggs and maintaining enough energy to brood
their offspring until they hatch. In an uncertain world, the potential loss of an entire
brood likely has a much stronger effect on evolutionary strategy than the lost
chance for producing a few more eggs. This would select female octopuses to err
slightly on the side of having too much energy resources, which would lead them
to survive occasionally past the brooding period. However, we have observed that
brooding females who are removed from their eggs act senescent but still are able
to brood if replaced back on them.
A few species of octopuses are iteroparous (Rodaniche, 1984) as are Nautilus
(Ward, 1987) and many other species of mollusks (Morton, 1967). However, most
octopuses are constrained to a semelparous life cycle that may end in senescence.
Such a pattern may be adaptive. Semelparity has the benefits of producing more
offspring and producing them quickly, both of which increase fitness (Stearns,
1992). Young octopuses are particularly capable of efficient assimilation of in-
gested food and very fast growth rates (Mangold, 1983b). Therefore, they are able
to reach maturity quickly. Thus, senescence and death at a young age are the costs
of such a strategy.
There is still much we do not know about octopus senescence, and there are many
opportunities for future research. The onset and duration of senescence need to be
documented in other species. The condition of naturally dying animals, state of in
-
ternal organs, number of spermatophores in males, ability to mate, and the correla
-
tion with hormonal systems need to be further researched. The factors that cause
somefemalestocontinue eatingafter egg-layingor egg-hatchingneed tobe studied.
There are implications for aquarium husbandry of senescent octopuses. It is im
-
portant for those who keep octopuses and work with them to understand that these
cephalopods are short-lived animals and that the senescence stage is a significant
part of their life cycle. It is critical to recognize the symptoms of senescence and be
able to differentiate them from other husbandry problems related to diseases, in
-
fections, injuries, and the effects of poor water quality. Research on octopus physi
-
ology, growth, and behavior will be confounded if senescent animals are used in
experiments.
THE BEGINNING OF THE END 281
Senescent octopuses in the wild probably do not live long due to the added risk
of predation, but senescence may be extended in the laboratory or public aquarium
(the so-called laboratory artifact). Senescent animals are acting normal for their
life stage, but this behavior is not normal relative to the rest of their lives. Octopus
keepers need to realize this and make amends for it. Senescent male octopuses may
make good public aquarium displays (Anderson, 1987). They are active and do not
require much, if any, food. However, octopus keepers need to realize that such ac
-
tivity and lack of appetite of a large, old octopus is the beginning of the end.
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... In particular, while our number of observations for clearly senescent octopuses [19][20][21][22] (1 O. bimaculoides, and 3 O. rubescens, all of which had stopped taking food after having laid eggs) was quite limited, we observed striking differences when attempting to induce hypnosis with these animals. In 5 trials with these senescent octopuses, we were unable to maintain a still state for more than 5 minutes (Fig. 3B), even though most of our attempts lasted more than 2 hrs (Fig. 3A, unstable). ...
... While senescent animals could be sufficiently calmed to conduct certain experiments, such as testing of sucker orienting responses, they seemed much more likely than non-senescent animals to respond to light arm touches or squeezes with more general responses involving recruitment of other arms. This may have been due to sensorimotor and neurobehavioral changes that occurred with onset of senescence in octopuses, particularly those associated with the care and guarding of octopus eggs [19,20,23]. The octopus optic gland plays an important role in regulating these reproductive behaviors, with removal of optic glands in senescent octopus often resulting in the animal taking food again and delaying senescence-related starvation [19,22,23]. ...
... This may have been due to sensorimotor and neurobehavioral changes that occurred with onset of senescence in octopuses, particularly those associated with the care and guarding of octopus eggs [19,20,23]. The octopus optic gland plays an important role in regulating these reproductive behaviors, with removal of optic glands in senescent octopus often resulting in the animal taking food again and delaying senescence-related starvation [19,22,23]. In particular, the case of successful hypnosis with the O. rubescens that still took food after laying eggs, raises some questions about how optic gland signaling might affect octopus sensorimotor processing and behaviors during hypnosis induction, and how it affects the efficacy of the hypnosis procedure. ...
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Effective methods of anesthesia for octopuses are important for physiological studies as well as for their welfare in scientific research. Neurophysiological studies of octopus usually use global anesthesia for invasive procedures like electrode implantation. However, commonly used forms of global anesthesia using ethanol, magnesium chloride, and similar agents raise certain concerns for levels of stress, recovery, and tissue viability in octopuses much as in humans. We explore an old, rarely used method of octopus "hypnosis", in which a still reaction is induced so that communication between central and peripheral nervous systems is seemingly decreased. We modify the procedure for better handling, continuous respiration, and isolation of peripheral nervous system of the arm cords from the central nervous system (CNS), providing alternative to global anesthesia for studies of arm-sucker coordination and electrode placements. The modified procedure limits negative side-effects, markedly reduces animals' stress levels, and offers new avenues for octopus neurobehavioral research.
... Senescence is the ultimate stage of the octopus life cycle, with females reaching this stage after brooding their eggs (Guerra, 1993;Anderson et al., 2002). During the brooding process, for instance, females lose up to 36% of their body weight in O. cyanea (Van Heukelem, 1976), around 50% in O. vulgaris (O'Dor & Wells, 1987), and up to 71% in E. dofleini (Cosgrove, 1993). ...
... During the brooding process, for instance, females lose up to 36% of their body weight in O. cyanea (Van Heukelem, 1976), around 50% in O. vulgaris (O'Dor & Wells, 1987), and up to 71% in E. dofleini (Cosgrove, 1993). After hatching, females may show (i) retraction of skin around the eyes, (ii) uncoordinated movements, (iii) unhealed lesions on the skin, and (iv) endemiotopic diseases such as coccidiosis (Anderson et al., 2002;Pascual et al., 2010;Roumbedakis & Guerra, 2019). The cause of senescent cephalopod death is still poorly understood, but recent evidence by Bian et al. (2022) suggests that excessive energy consumption under prolonged starvation cannot alone lead to senescent symptoms in O. sinensis. ...
Chapter
This chapter describes past and present publication trends in octopus research following a systematic mapping approach. Publication rates in popular research topics such as life history and ecology are decreasing, while others are increasing and taking the spotlight. Interest in behaviour has seen a considerable uptick in recent years. Also, rapid advances, emerging tools, and widespread access to DNA sequence information have stimulated an increased focus on topics relating to genomics & evolution. Research related to diversity & bBiogeo-graphy is also increasing, especially in the context of the concurrent biodiversity and climate crises. Although global change represents the least studied topic to date, interest has increased tremendously over the past 5 years, with more than double the publication rate observed for behaviour (the topic with the second largest publication rate). Our analysis also provides a geographical perspective; the food and argriculture organization region with the most octopus-related studies is the Mediterranean, followed by the Northeast and Western-Central Atlantic Ocean. Regarding species of interest, Octopus vulgaris stands out as the overwhelming front-runner Octopus Biology and Ecology. https://doi. 421 representing more than half of all records and over five times more than the second most studied species, Octopus maya. We also provide a discussion on future directions for key subjects, including behaviour and cognition, iEcology and citizen science, bio-robotics, deep-sea research, climate change, and culture and welfare, among others, with the hope of providing an agenda for future research.
... One possible explanation is the use of signal warping dens by females for egg laying and parental care [23], which for O. vulgaris typically are rocky crevices and caves closed off with an artificial wall of small stones and shells [2,23]. Acoustic transmissions would then be blocked, as females are known to stay inside the den and die after brooding as a consequence of increased metabolic effort and starvation [2,45]. The period of the tagging experiment (May-September) coincides with the known spawning season of O. vulgaris [46]. ...
Article
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Octopuses are amongst the most fascinating animals in our oceans; however, while their intricate behaviours are often studied in laboratory settings, basic aspects of their movement ecology remain unstudied in the wild. Focusing on the socio-economically important common octopus (Octopus vulgaris), this study employs, for the first time, acoustic tracking techniques to address knowledge gaps regarding the species spatial ecology within a marine protected area. A total of 24 wild O. vulgaris (13 males, 11 females) were tagged in 2022 in the National Park Maritime-Terrestrial of the Atlantic Islands of Galicia, Spain. Acoustic transmitters were externally attached to the third arm, after testing other body parts (mantle cavity). Males were on average detected on 10 times more occasions than females (49 days in males and five in females). The average activity space in the study area was large in comparison to that determined in similar studies, with 0.16 km². Activity space between males and females as well as day and night were comparable. Tagged octopuses displayed a crepuscular activity pattern. The location of dens could be established for 15 out of 24 individuals, from which octopuses were observed to undertake regular daytime excursions. Several individuals were also found to occupy more than one den and/or switch their main dens throughout the study duration. First implications and benefits of this approach are discussed.
... It is worth noting that some species of squids exhibit a unique reproductive behavior called semelparity, where they reproduce only once and die shortly after (Ikeda et al. 1993;Rocha et al. 2001). Additionally, certain female octopus species tend to die after their eggs hatch, as observed by Anderson et al. (2002). These findings provide valuable insights into the complex life cycle of cephalopods. ...
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Understanding the age and development of a species provides knowledge about its longevity and growth, which are crucial in assessing its life history to maintain the sustainability of its fisheries. Over 3000 samples of Uroteuthis duvaucelii were collected from trawl catches off Concepcion, Iloilo, Western Visayas, Philippines, from April 2018 to September 2019. Daily rings in the statoliths were used to determine their age. The estimated age ranged from 73 to 154 days old, corresponding to sizes of 3.1 to 28.1 cm mantle length. The presence of small individuals (~4 cm) throughout the year indicate continuous spawning of this species. Growth curve patterns of U. duvaucelii were examined using two techniques: growth from size-at-age data (statolith increments) and growth generated from length-frequency data using the ELEFAN software package. Both methods yielded results that were remarkably different from one another. The growth curve generated from length frequency analysis produced an asymptotic growth. In contrast, size-at-age data (mantle length-age relationship) revealed that U. duvaucelii does not grow asymptotically. The growth of this tropical squid is best fitted with exponential growth, exhibiting a continuous rapid growth and short lifespan, a prominent characteristic observed in neritic species of squids. This work provides evidence that asymptotic growth is not applicable for the tropical squid species in the Visayan Sea, Philippines.
... It mainly inhabits rocky reefs, shallow seagrass beds, and sediment substrates (Anderson 1997), and utilises dens for refuge from predation (Anderson 1997), mating (Godfrey-Smith and Lawrence 2012; Caldwell et al. 2015), and egg rearing (Garci 2016). Octopus tetricus completes its life cycle within one to two years (Ramos et al. 2014) and employs a semelparous reproductive strategy (Anderson et al. 2002). ...
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Octopus fisheries are expanding globally. However, given their complex behavioural repertoires, cognitive capacities and individual personalities among octopuses, careful consideration of their interactions with and capture by fishing gears is required to inform efficient, sustainable, and ethical fisheries development. Here, the behaviour of Octopus tetricus was assessed in response to different bait and trap combinations in an outdoor mesocosm experiment. Eight wild octopuses were collected, maintained in individual tanks with flow-through seawater and aeration, and monitored with a 24-h video surveillance system. Six different trap types and four different baits were presented to each octopus in various combinations during four sequential trials. Fine-mesh crab traps were the most successful in capturing octopus, accounting for 23 of the total 30 captures across all trials. Whereas solid trigger traps produced the greatest number of other interactions (e.g., octopus sitting on trap or in the entrance), averaging 43 interactions per trial, but were rarely triggered. Bait type did not influence octopus capture, trap interaction frequency, or octopus activity. Octopus were generally inactive, dedicating only 9.5% of their total time to active behaviours. Octopus activity varied with time of day, with peak activity during morning daylight (0800–1200) and the lowest activity during the dark hours of the very early morning (0000–0400). Additionally, capture numbers, trap interactions, and activity varied among individuals, with bolder personalities in some octopus. This natural variation among individual octopuses may lead to fishery-induced selection associated with the elevated capture frequency of bold or more active individuals.
... A study on activity patterns of O. vulgaris at the Konrad Lorenz Institute showed that senescent 375 males were statistically more active than normal males (Meisel et al. 2003). This undirected 376 activity was suggested to be related to mate searching (Anderson et al. 2002), and our 377 observations support that hypothesis. Indeed, we registered effective spermatophore transferences 378 between males M1 and M2 and maturing females up to two weeks before dying. ...
Article
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Understanding senescence in semelparous species not only deepens our knowledge of the evolution of aging but also highlights the diversity of life strategies that have evolved in the natural world. This terminal phase occurs at the end of the lifecycle and is particularly evident in the common octopus, Octopus vulgaris, Cuvier 1797, a semelparous species with terminal reproduction. The aim of the present work was to document the natural process of senescence in specimens raised in captivity for two consecutive generations and the differences in morphology,behaviour and functional traits between the two sexes. Both sexes showed similar affections in the skin, with unhealed wounds, paler colors, and white lesions. At the same temperature males live longer (six to seven months) than females, and showed extensive arm tip damage, with the exception of the hectocotylus that was fully functional until the very last day. Females, contrarily to males, lose 35.4 to 46.8% of their body weight during brooding and senescence. Uncommon behaviours were registered during this terminal phase like egg laying outside of the den, egg ingestion or copulation between males. These observations provide new data that will help to better understand this terminal phase and the natural processes occurring in both sexes at the end of their life cycle.
... Octopus lay their eggs close to a venting site and brood them while their bodies undergo senescence. Both the egg clutches and senescing octopuses are a food source that may attract predators 49 . Further, the remains of the senesced octopus may enhance local concentrations of detritus that is entrained in the water column and made available to many sessile filter feeders 13,47,50 . ...
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Ridge Flank Hydrothermal Systems have discrete pockets of fluid discharge that mimic climate-induced ocean warming. Unlike traditional hydrothermal fluids, those discharged by Ridge Flank Hydrothermal Systems have a chemical composition indistinguishable from background water, enabling evaluation of the effect of warming temperature. Here we link temperature and terrain variables to community composition and biodiversity by combining remotely operated vehicle images of vent and non-vent zone communities with associated environmental variables. We show overall differences in composition, family richness, and biodiversity between zones, though richness and diversity were only significantly greater in vent zones at one location. Temperature was a contributing factor to observed greater biodiversity near vent zones. Overall, our results suggest that warming in the deep sea will affect species composition and diversity. However, due to the diverse outcomes projected for ocean warming, additional research is necessary to forecast the impacts of ocean warming on deep-sea ecosystems.
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The relationship between size and age at maturity in cephalopods is unresolved. The most recent interspecific comparison of size and age of cephalopods contradicts two previous studies by concluding that larger species do not live longer. This paper addresses the confounding effects of temperature and phylogeny while answering the question, “Do larger cephalopods live longer?”. To test this hypothesis, life-history data from 18 species of cephalopods, from five orders, with sizes at maturity spanning five orders of magnitude, were obtained from the literature. Without temperature consideration and with Nautilus spp. included in the sample, regression analysis suggests (r 2 = 0.376, p = 0.007) that larger cephalopods take longer to reach maturity. Once temperature was controlled by using physiological time (degree-days), the coleoid cephalopods moved closer to the best fit line and the genus Nautilus became an outlier. When Nautilus was removed and time measured in degree-days, the relationship was very strong (r 2 = 0.785, p < 0.001). We conclude that coleoid cephalopods achieve larger size by delaying maturity and that temperature, as well as phylogeny, must be considered when making interspecific comparisons.