Raise your hand if you think octopuses are supersmart alien lifeforms, and you’d never dream of having one in your home! Same. Unfortunately (and as it turns out, quite hilariously), one Oklahoma family didn’t get in on the conspiracy theory — and now their home is basically an aquarium and octopus nursery.
The wild story made its way to TikTok, where the internet has collectively fallen in love with “TikToktopus” (@doktoktopus). So, how did it come to pass that this family began housing not just one octopus but potentially as many as 50? (!!) Well, it all started when one little boy began fixating on octopuses, and his parents made the fateful decision to roll with it.
Like many kids who beg for pets like cats, puppies, or bunnies, the little boy began to pine for an octopus. After a bit of research, the parents decided to go for it — octopuses don’t have a very long lifespan in captivity, so it wasn’t a giant commitment. And while an octopus is a fairly rare pet, acquiring one would be pretty easy.
They bought an aquarium, the octopus, and, ultimately, a bigger aquarium. But their kiddo had his dream pet! The “bimac” octopus proved much friendlier than advertised, too. Instead of hiding in the tank and acclimating, Terrance quickly started moving around her new home and watching the world around her. Owning an octopus was fun and entertaining for the entire family. Who knew?
Then, something even more surprising happened. Upon trying to figure out why Terrance had suddenly become reclusive, the family made a shocking discovery: She’d laid eggs inside her aquarium cave.
It’s worth mentioning that octopuses don’t typically lay eggs in captivity because they don’t feel safe enough. Since laying eggs also usually signifies the end of an octopus’ life cycle, it would appear Terrance trusted her new terrestrial family — who realized there were a lot of eggs. Would there be that many babies?
Terrance’s family didn’t think the eggs would be viable. In fact, octo-experts practically confirmed the eggs wouldn’t be fertile.
Two months passed. The family had come to terms with Terrance’s impending demise, letting her protect the children that would never come to fruition. ~Except~ while cleaning the aquarium, Dad noticed a floating egg and scooped it up. In a mere moment, the egg hatched, and a teeny, tiny octopus sprung forth. They named her Pearl.
Terrance would have her babies, after all. That was excellent for the cephalod mom, who would still most likely pass before the end of the process. But there were dozens of eggs in her den, and the aquarium was made for one octopus — not 50.
Only about 1% of bimac babies survive, but those other babies haven’t had this family to help them out. While they didn’t know how they were going to save them all from being sucked into filters, starving to death, or simply eating each other, they knew they were going to try. The family set up a 24-hour watch to ensure they were catching and separating each baby octopus the minute they hatched.
It’s the kind of pure and wholesome story we could all use a little more of these days. If the comments on the various videos (or the millions of views) are any indication, the internet is invested.
“I love that the cephalopods have started their world dominance in Oklahoma. VERY unsuspected! 🤣” joked AndiDaNurse.
“This is so hilariously chaotic; I live for these updates,” said Kater.
The family is even getting some genius naming suggestions for their rapidly growing octoposse.
“Start naming them after aquariums and then be like, ‘You gotta take ’em; they’re named after you,’” Strangerambles offered up.
“I would like to submit: Bill Nye the Octopi,” said Hollabatgirl.
In the end, the Oklahoma family could be raising upwards of 50 baby octopuses over the next two to three months until they’re big and strong enough to withstand transporting them elsewhere.
At which point, who knows? Something tells us that after their internet fame, this little octo-army won’t have any trouble finding homes.
