2023-07-05 17:35:58
Our planet is rich in so many treasures that we find it hard to imagine. Scientists are there to reveal them to us. To amaze us with their discoveries. Today, from the coast of Costa Rica…
Ten years ago, researchers discovered something amazing. An octopus nursery. An area where female octopuses seemed to congregate to hatch their eggs. A team of Schmidt Ocean Institute (United States) has today revealed a new nursery of its kind off the coast of Costa Rica, near a hydrothermal vent. All at more than 2,800 meters deep.
When researchers discovered the first nursery in 2013, they did not spot a developing embryo. So, the most marvelous thing about this story is that this new expedition enabled them to capture, thanks to a remote-controlled underwater vehicle, extremely rare images. Newborn octopuses emerging from their eggs both in the newly identified nursery, but also on the old one that they thought was inactive.
Active octopus nurseries
The researchers point out that the brooding of octopuses in the open sea is a long process. It happens that the females brood for more than four years of the eggs which they must keep clean and which they must protect. As a result, they end up sacrificing their lives for the benefit of their offspring. Hydrothermal vents and their hot fluids could help them accelerate the development of their eggs.
Incidentally – or not – the expedition also allowed scientists to observe, on five seamounts never before explored, a flourishing biodiversity. Hundreds of animals, many of which are suspected to belong to new species. In places that are currently not protected from human activities such as fishing.
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