LOS ANGELES – A dying octopus at a Southern California aquarium is receiving an outpouring of love and well-wishes as she spends her final days exerting her last energy to care for her eggs, even though they will never hatch.
Many on social media have recalled seeing a giant Pacific octopus named Ghost when they visited the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. Some shared that they have a ghost tattoo or a sweater emblazoned with the beloved cephalopod in her memory.
“She is a wonderful octopus and has made an eight-armed impression on all of our hearts,” the aquarium said on Instagram.
Ghost laid her eggs earlier this week and has entered the final stage of her life cycle, known as senescence. During this period, the octopus will neglect her own basic needs, such as eating, instead focusing on protecting her eggs and aerating them to prevent bacteria or other harmful agents from entering them.
Ghost eggs are unfertilized and yet never hatch. Wild giant Pacific octopuses spend their entire lives alone and only come together briefly to reproduce.
“You really can’t put males and females together for a period of time because they’re obviously not meant to be together,” said Nate Jaros, the aquarium’s vice president of animal care. “They’re at high risk of aggression or even potentially death.”
Ghost is originally from the waters of British Columbia, Canada, and arrived at the aquarium from a scientific collector in May 2024. She weighed just 3 pounds (1.4 kilograms) but now weighs over 50 pounds (22.7 kilograms).
The average Giant Pacific Octopus lives three to five years. Ghost is estimated to be between two and four years old, Jaros said.
Spock was a “super active and very physical octopus” who enjoyed spending time with people, Jaros said.
She was trained to voluntarily crawl into a basket so that staff could weigh her and monitor her diet. Sometimes she would reject food her caregiver offered just to interact with them more, Jaros said.
“Octopuses in particular are incredibly special because they seem to be charismatic and intelligent, and we really form strong bonds with these animals,” Jaros said.
Her caregivers engage her in enrichment activities several times a day, placing food inside toys and puzzles with moving parts to simulate what an octopus would do to hunt live crabs and smooths in the wild.
At one point, staff spent hours building a large acrylic maze for Ghost to explore.
“She picked it up almost immediately,” Jaros said.
While Ghost has been receiving special attention in her private tank for the past few days, the aquarium has already received a new octopus that will continue her mission to educate the public. Staff named the 2-pound (900-gram) octopus after spending some time assessing its personality, but it is already “super curious” and “seems to be a very outgoing animal,” Jaros said.
Jay McMahon, a marine biology student from Los Angeles, said he was glad he was able to visit the aquarium in recent weeks and see the ghost one more time. He said he was inspired to continue his studies after his parents took him to the aquarium when he was 4 years old.
“When you bond with an animal like that, and you know they don’t live that long, every moment means a lot,” he said. “I just hope she encourages people to learn more about octopuses and how important they are.”
