A giant octopus is visiting a marine research center in Newport

(JUNE 6, 2024) Oregon State University is in Corvallis. However, it also has a marine science center in Newport. It's called the Hatfield Visitor Center. It studies ocean animals and plants. Visitors can see many exhibits with lots of information. 

For example, there is a tidepool touch tank. You can gently pet fish, abalone, and sea stars. There are snails, anemones, sea cucumbers, and skeleton shrimp. In another tank, you can see crustaceans, such as crabs and lobsters. A wave tank challenges you to build structures using Legos. Will it survive a tsunami wave?

Right now, the Hatfield Visitor Center also has a special kind of visitor -- a 19.5 pound male giant Pacific octopus. Visitors can see the octopus in a tank. There are also two "octocams" that show live video. (If the picture is cloudy or dark, check back later; they may just be cleaning the tank or covering the tank to give the octopus time to rest.)

Jaimie Hart works at the center. She said, "He’s got that perfect giant Pacific octopus personality where he’s just a little bit smarter, a little bit wiser. ... He’s a big boy and I’m really pleased with how he acts just like an octopus.”

The octopus was a donation from local crabbers (people who fish for crabs). Octopuses often feed on crab pots because they have lots of food. So the crabbers brought the octopus back to the Hatfield Center. The octopus will stay only for a few months. Then the Center will return the octopus to the ocean.