3rd Place Marine Life Behavior

Louise Nott

"Festoons"

The Story: After mating, the female gloomy octopus (Octopus tetricus) finds a suitable den to lay her eggs, usually tucking herself into a crevice. Each fertilised egg is protected by a translucent white sac (chorion) that contains the nutrient rich yolk for it to develop in. Eggs are then braided together using the chorion stalk and material excepted by the female, forming festoons of eggs. Just like ribbons or lights, the festoons of eggs are delicately attached to the surface of the den, hanging over the mother who spends the rest of her life caring for her young. As the eggs develop, chromatophores begin to become visible, and the festoons of eggs truly begin to look like sparkling strings of lights. 

I was fortunate to be able to carefully observe this mother octopus caring for her young and respectively only took a few photographs. As I started to retreat, I noticed a few of the planktonic young hatch - a truely magical moment!

Location:  Australia, New South Wales

Equipment Used: Nikon D850 Camera, Nikon 105mm Macro Lens, Nauticam Housing, Dual Inon Z330 Strobes

Camera Settings: F22, 1/160, ISO 160

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