octo question on life span

[boggerscott]

my brother told me he read that octos only live like 1 to 2 year. is this true? do all octopuses fall under this life span? cause if this is true and you get one from the store you have no idea if it would die tommorow just because of age. well let me know what you all no. thanks

 

[DHyslop]

Two years is a stretch, one is more realistic for the size of octopus most people keep. The problem with buying wild-caught octopus is that what the diver collects is probably an adult with only a couple months left.

This is why captive-bred or tank-raised cephs have been so popular. Unfortunately there's currently no source for cb or tr octopus, and I think you may be too late for the most recent batch of tr cuttlefish.

Dan

 

[Gonodactylus]

Dan is right. Our blue-rings rarely live more than a few months and other pygmies last about the same. Age is determined partly by the amount of food the animal gets, size, mating, and time. These interact to determine when the animal reproduces and dies. By feeding less and not mating an octopus, you can stretch the live span in many species, but they will still live a comparatively brief life.

Roy