Earth’s octopuses have existed since ancient times at least 330 million years. They evolved before dinosaurs roamed the earth, but their modern descendants don’t live very long. They usually die soon after mating or spawning, but some octopus species survive. only 6 months The average lifespan is about 2-3 years.some species like giant pacific octopus They can live up to 5 years.
To keep fish populations sustainable, fishers need to have enough breeding stock. be left alone or released Into the wild. Government agencies can enforce Scientists can learn the rules by understanding the reproductive lives of various fish. For the octopus, its short lifespan was not an issue at an evolutionary level. But as humans’ taste for these cephalopods grows, meeting demand has become a problem.
In an effort to ensure the sustainability of the octopus fishery while protecting the longevity of this incredibly ancient and intelligent sea creature, a team of Australian scientists has completed the first known study to determine the age of an octopus. We’ve created a step-by-step guide. For more information on the guide, please visit The paper was published on April 11th. Marine and Freshwater Research Journal This is the first step in creating guidelines for fishermen to follow and ensuring they catch octopuses that are not of reproductive age.
There are several ways to determine the age of an organism. This is called aging. It is well known that trees have annual rings that indicate the number of years the tree has lived.Under inspection tooth and bone structure Mammals reveal similar information about age. The process was a little difficult for the octopus.new paperthe team is their beak and stylet–The inner shell is located near the gills. The researchers found tree-like growth rings here, a useful tool for testing the octopus’ age.
[Related: Octopuses rewrite their own RNA to survive freezing temperatures.]
“Over the past 30 years, different studies have investigated different methods of curing octopus, but researchers around the world who have the practical knowledge to implement these methods in the laboratory are It’s a small number,” said study co-author from the University of South Australia’s Maritime College.Ecologist Zoe Doubleday stated in a statement. “It’s important that we don’t lose this practical scientific knowledge, because by measuring their age we can understand how differences in fishing rates affect populations.”
The team explains how scientists can examine matter. Octopus beak, probe, and tree rings Find out the age of the animal in the laboratory. In the future, these methods could be applied to wild environments to determine the age of marine octopuses.
“Understanding the age of octopuses can help us keep fisheries sustainable,” says study co-author Erica Durante, a PhD student at the University of South Australia. stated in a statement. “Once we know how old a species is, we can estimate how fast it grows and reproduces, and how much we can catch to keep the fishery sustainable.”
[Related: Eating seafood can be more sustainable and healthy than red meat.]
Age data can also tell scientists how long it takes an animal to reach maturity. This will help you avoid octopuses that are not fully grown enough to reproduce when fishing. According to DuranteAge is important for the general conservation and management of a species, whether or not it is commercially fished.
One difficulty is that tree rings represent years; The annual rings of an octopus represent the days.. According to the team, each of these methods will need to be customized. Approximately 300 species of octopus are known. The research team also acknowledges that these guidelines will continue to evolve as they learn more about the ecology of these multipods.
