They quickly became the darlings of the nature programs. Demand in the U. One import of a mimic was recorded in , two in , and 30 in , the last year available. Even if that demand continued exponentially, it would be legal: None of the plus known species of octopus is listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora CITES , which regulates cross-border trade in wildlife, or the U.
This may reflect a lack of information—for example, in the case of the mimic octopus. Another celebrated octopus presents a different concern. All octopuses probably carry some venom, but only the various golf ball-size blue-ringed species , which range from southern Japan to Australia, are known to pack a lethal dose.
Their saliva contains the potent nerve toxin tetrodotoxin, the same compound that makes California newts, harlequin frogs, and fugu pufferfish liver so deadly.
One blue ring can carry enough to kill 10 or more humans. Blue-ring bites occur each year in Australia, but timely, vigorous artificial respiration usually prevents fatalities; only three have been confirmed during the past century, none involving aquariums. More blue-ring fatalities may go unidentified, however, because the bites are painless and the mode of death—respiratory paralysis—can be caused by other toxins and nerve, muscle, and lung conditions.
Caldwell recounts a close escape. He had recruited his teenage daughter to help him scour reef samples for the mantis shrimp he was studying off Australia's Lizard Island.
She felt "something soft and squishy" inside one rock oyster shell. Rather than crawling for cover like most octopuses, [the octopus] reared up while pulling back her first two pair of arms [and] exposing her mouth. It was very clear to me that here was an octopus ready to bite This was a potentially lethal blue-ringed octopus that my unsuspecting daughter had handled just minutes earlier.
Imports of blue rings to the U. Other vendors still offer them, even online. Ross is now with the Albright Laboratory, a coral-reef research and restoration facility affiliated with the aquarium.
Custom ordering also enables responsible vendors to evaluate purchasers and advise them about best practices. Any downturn also reflects the efforts of Wood and other experts to educate hobbyists and vendors about the costs and hazards of keeping these demanding super-mollusks. In addition to their high prices and expensive diets—heavy on live crabs and shrimp— octopuses need large, escape-proof tanks with ample hiding places, unassailable fixtures to withstand their powerful arms and inquisitive tampering, and no fish or other companions they'll eat them.
The purchase is also a short-term investment. Most species live only one to two years, and a newly imported octopus may have just weeks left. Some robust common species, such as the California two-spot octopus, get along relatively well in captivity. Others, such as the fabled but delicate mimic, do much worse. The mimic is also reclusive and nocturnal and unlikely to display its famous shape-shifting in a tank. Such cavalier attitudes trouble Wood, who studied octopuses as a faculty member at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences.
Their high level of intelligence allows them to display a huge variety of fascinating behaviors. However, an octopus makes for a challenging pet, and you should certainly do your homework before trying to take care of one. Octopuses' requirements have a lot in common with a reef tank, though there are several key differences that would keep them out of most reef tanks.
Their high metabolisms require an efficient filtration system. Additionally, they require good water movement. However, they require a tank with a low level of lighting and an environment free of stinging cnidarians. In other words, they need the filtration and water movement of a reef tank, but not the actual corals or anemones and bright lighting.
Feeding your octopus is a great chance to interact with your pet. Each octopus has favorite foods, but all are carnivores. Some will only accept live food. Octopuses are also tricky to breed in captivity, so most octopuses are caught from the wild. There is no question that octopuses seem like enticing pets. Unlike fish or even cats, they really interact with us; they study us and respond to our actions.
One researcher I spoke to for my book likened his laboratory octopuses to his dog. Each day when he entered the lab, his octopuses seemed to great him the way his dog might when he got home. But, at the end of the day, a dog makes a better choice for a pet than an octopus. Perhaps most importantly, dogs have been bred to be our companions.
Even if our living conditions aren't a dog's ideal an apartment rather than a farm , it sure beats the confines of an isolated tank. And anyway we've yet to "domesticate" a cephalopod species. To his credit, Morgan encouraged the designers of the new octopus enclosure to consider what might make the animal happy.
Can we do that? Close your eyes, and move like the octopus Win an autographed copy of my new book Octopus! Click here for more details. Illustration courtesy of Ivan Phillipsen.
The views expressed are those of the author s and are not necessarily those of Scientific American. Katherine Harmon Courage is an award-winning freelance journalist, editor, and author based in Colorado. Follow Katherine Harmon Courage on Twitter.
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