California Aquarium Announces Octopus Ghost Is Dying: "We'll Miss Him"
"We will miss him." Messages pour in, one after another. Likes and hearts, hundreds of shares. Some are sharing photos and videos. The announced death of Ghost, a giant Pacific octopus, is going viral in the United States: in the past few hours, the Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach, California, announced: "He has laid eggs and has entered the final stage of his life cycle, senescence." And perhaps no one here expected such an outpouring of affection for the mollusk, which arrived at the facility all the way from Canada in May 2024. It weighed 1.4 kilograms, now it weighs almost 23 kilograms. Since then, it has captivated everyone.
And Ghost, a female, has laid unfertilized eggs and is preparing to spend her final days pouring her last energies into caring for them, protecting them from the potential proliferation of bacteria and harmful agents. And, inevitably, neglecting physiological needs like eating. Thus, while awaiting the moment of fateful separation, Aquarius has chosen to anticipate the epilogue. Sad, but that's nature, beauty. And so the message on Facebook and Instagram becomes almost an epitaph: "She is a wonderful octopus and has left her mark on the eight arms of all our hearts. In the next few days, she will be moved backstage for the rest of her life."
Extraordinary stories that tell of bonds between humans and octopuses are not actually new: the most famous is undoubtedly the one told by South African documentary maker Craig Foster , a South African director, who established a friendship with a common octopus in the seas of Cape Town, documenting the cephalopod's life for a year, admiring its intelligence, survival strategies and fragility, which he portrayed in the film “My Octopus Teacher” , awarded the Oscar for best documentary in 2020. As for Ghost, the exact age of the octopus is not known, but – explain the researchers at the facility – “based on its weight and size we can approximate that it falls within the maximum age range for its species, between 4 and 5 years”.
And among the users, some say they have Ghost tattooed on their forearms, and others proudly wear a sweater featuring a photo of him. There are also some, to be fair, who emphasize the futile efforts of an animal caring for a possible offspring that will never see the light of day. "For the safety of our animals and to prevent premature senescence, we do not allow the octopuses to mate, because in captivity, males and females cannot coexist, and therefore Ghost's eggs are unfertilized," explains the Aquarium staff.
Among the researchers, there's no shortage of those who highlight the emotion. "Ghost is a super active octopus who loved spending time with humans," says Nate Jaros, director of animal welfare for the Aquarium of the Pacific. "She was trained to voluntarily crawl into a basket so that staff could weigh her and monitor her diet. Sometimes, she would put aside the food we offered her just to interact more with us," he adds. "Octopuses are special animals due to their charisma and intelligence; we form really strong bonds with these animals," adds Jaros. From puzzles to toys, from the challenge of finding the exit from a large acrylic maze ("Mission accomplished in minutes") to the relationship with visitors, who instantly "adopted" her.
What now? While Ghost will receive special attention in a private tank during his final days, the aquarium has already welcomed a new octopus, weighing just 900 grams, who will continue his mission of educating the public. He's said to be incredibly curious and outgoing, but he still needs a name. It's a matter of days.
La Repubblica
