The female Pacific octopus protects her babies to her last breath
Mother octopuses never meet their babies, as they stop eating and die of starvation before the young hatch. However, that’s probably a good thing.
While parents sacrifice much for their offspring, few routinely give up their lives. But such is the destiny of a female octopus: tending her eggs is the last thing she’ll do.
A female giant Pacific octopus only has one chance at breeding in her five-year lifespan. When she’s ready lay her eggs — up to 80,000 of them — she finds a rocky den and settles down for a long wait.
“It can take 6-10 months for the baby octopus’ to develop, and during that time, the female won’t leave their side.
In a gloriously tragic act of self-sacrifice, she stops eating and dies of starvation before the young hatch. She might even hasten her demise by actively ripping off parts of her own body.
These behaviours seem to be orchestrated by nervous impulses from something known as the ‘optic gland’. Removal of this gland increases an octopus’s lifespan considerably, so it’s clearly not a simple case of exhaustion.
Instead, death seems to be pre-programmed.
Octopuses have a cannibalistic streak, so death may be a way to prevent a female from
She won’t eat, but will protect the eggs and fan them to keep them oxygenated and free from bacteria and algae as she slowly dies, making the ultimate sacrifice for her babies.”
Peoplesmind