Encounter in Spain
In a column for discoverwildlife.com, an anonymous writer details returning to a rocky foreshore in Costa Blanca, Spain, three years after catching and releasing a common octopus there.
During a swim in the clear shallows, the writer spotted an octopus resting on the pebbled floor. The creature rolled over the rocks and extended a tentacle towards the visitor’s toes.
Tentacle Contact in Shallows
Ten minutes after the initial encounter, the writer returned to the same spot. The octopus approached again and rested in the extreme shallows.
The writer stuck one finger into the sea, prompting the creature to send out a tentacle. “The sensation of sucker on skin is a remarkable thing,” the author writes, noting an impression that the animal wanted to drag the hand towards its body.
Expert Assessment on Lifespan
Romantic sentiment encouraged the hope that it was the same creature caught and released years earlier. Dr Stefan Linquist, an octopus behavioural expert at the University of Guelph, Canada, told discoverwildlife.com that this is unlikely given the average three-year lifespan of the common octopus.
Linquist reckons the location may have been a foraging site. He suggested the octopus might have been in the habit of checking out novel potential prey items.
How Long Do Common Octopuses Typically Live? Where Did the Second Encounter Take Place?
How long do common octopuses typically live?
The average lifespan of the common octopus is three years, according to Dr Stefan Linquist of the University of Guelph.
Where did the second encounter take place?
The second encounter occurred on a rocky foreshore in Costa Blanca, Spain, three years after the initial catch and release in a rockpool.
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