The giant Pacific octopus
is the largest of its kind,
weighing over 70 kilograms
and up to seven metres across.
These gentle,
intelligent animals
will only breed once
in their five-year life span.
After mating,
the female finds a rocky den
where she can lay her eggs.
It takes a long time
for her eggs to develop,
about six to ten months.
So it's usually late fall
before the eggs are finally
ready to hatch.
Looking like clusters of grapes
her 80,000 eggs
are carefully positioned
along the rock ceiling
of her den.
Pale and grey,
the female has lost
most of her body weight
and all her rich, red colour.
The past six months,
she has not eaten
or left her den.
[♪♪♪]
She's slowly dying.
Reproduction is the final act
of a female octopus's life.
White lesions appear on her skin
as her healing capacity
has ceased to function.
[♪♪♪]
It's a race against time now.
Will she survive long enough
to see her eggs hatch?
[♪♪♪]
Forcing water over them
with her siphon,
she provides the eggs
with oxygen
and keeps them free
of harmful bacteria and algae.
Now it's her only purpose
in life.
Inside the strings of eggs,
her young enter the final
stages of development.
Her long ordeal is finally over.
The baby octopuses
begin to free themselves
from their egg casings.
[♪♪♪]
She gently blows the hatchlings
out of the den
and into open water.
The tiny young
swim to the surface
to ride the cold-water currents.
Of her 80,000 eggs,
only a few
will survive to maturity.
Countless empty egg casings
reveal the brood has departed.
She's given her life
to ensure her offspring have
the best chance to survive.
