The Kona Octopus Farm !
The Life Cycle
All of the Octopus Enclosures
The Tour Guide Speech
Ready to head over
Hand to arm !
Touching
Changing Colour
Male vrs. Female
Ready to mate
Reaching out
TODAY WE HAD A REALLY UNIQUE EXPERIENCE : WE WENT TO THE KONA OCTOPUS FARM.
NOW I HAVE BEEN TO QUITE A FEW FARMS BUT THIS WAS UNLIKE ANYTHING I HAVE EXPERIENCED. IT TOOK US ABOUT A HALF AN HOUR TO DRIVE OVER TO THIS SCIENTIFIC OCEAN-LIFE SITE AND THERE WERE ABOUT 30 OF US BOOKED FOR THE TOUR.
OUR GUIDE SPOKE A LITTLE TOO FAST WITH HIS INITIAL SPEECH BUT HE WAS OBVIOUSLY VERY KNOWLEDGABLE. ( REMINDS ME OF A MATH TEACHER I HAD IN HIGH SCHOOL …. A VERY INTELLIGENT MAN WHO WAS A BETTER MATHEMATICIAN THAN A TEACHER ) .
SOON WE WERE BROUGHT TO ABOUT 16 ‘BINS’ WHICH EACH HELD ONE OCTOPUS OF MEDIUM SIZE. SOME WERE MALE AND SOME FEMALE AND ALL OF THEM DIFFERENT COLOURS…SOME CHANGING COLOURS RIGHT BEFORE OUR EYES . I DIDN’T KNOW THEY COULD DO THAT ! WE ALSO FOUND OUT MANY INTERESTING FACTS . FOR EXAMPLE , THEY EACH HAVE THIS TUBE STICKING OUT OF THEIR HEADS WHICH CAN SPRAY ( US !) OR THEIR INK TO MASK THEMSELVES FROM THEIR ENEMIES. ( I KNEW ABOUT THE INK BUT NOT THE TUBE AND ITS LOCATION)
THEY HAVE THESE VERY SMALL BEAK-LIKE PINCERS IN THE MIDDLE OF THEIR LEGS WHICH CAN CRUSH SHELLS OF LOBSTER AND CRAB SO THEY CAN INJECT THEM WITH THEIR SALIVA , ANESTHETIZE THEIR PREY , AND SUCK OUT THEIR MEAT TO EAT IT. UNBELIEVABLY , THESE OCTOPI CAN ACTUALLY SQUEEZE THROUGH OPENINGS AS SMALL AS A TINY BIRD BEAK SIZE TOO.
THE TOUR GUIDE TOLD US THAT THEY SURROUND THE BINS WITH ASTROTURF BECAUSE THE OCTOPI DO NOT LIKE THE FEEL OF IT IF THEY SHOULD WANT TO ESCAPE. ( IF THEY DO ESCAPE THEY ONLY HAVE A COUPLE OF MINUTES BEFORE THEY DIE OUT OF THE WATER).
THE TOURS PAY FOR 100 % OF THE RESEARCHERS’ COSTS . THEY STUDY EVERYTHING ABOUT THE OCTOPI FROM THEIR EATING TO THEIR MATING HABITS.
WE WERE TAUGHT HOW TO GENTLY PUT OUR HANDS IN THE TOP OF THE WATER AND WIGGLE OUR FINGERS AROUND SO THAT THE OCTOPUS MIGHT REACH OUT AND GRAB OUR HANDS. I DIDN’T THINK I WOULD HAVE THE GUTS TO DO THIS AS THERE WAS THE POSSIBILITY OF THEM TUGGING US TOO HARD DOWN INTO THE BIN OR MY FEAR OF HOW WEIRD IT WOULD FEEL TO TOUCH THE SUCKERS ON THEIR TENTACLES.
BUT I DID FINALLY TRY IT ( YAY !) AND THE SUCKERS WERE VERY SOFT BUT THE ARMS WRAPPING AROUND MY HAND WERE VERY STRONG. MAN ! WE WERE TOLD NOT TO JERK OUR HANDS OUT BUT TO PULL THE SUCKERS OFF OF OUR HANDS LIKE A BANANA PEEL.
WE ALSO GOT A CHANCE TO FEED THEM . THIS WAS ALSO A BIT UNNERVING FOR ME AS THEY NOT ONLY WRAPPED AROUND OUR HANDS BUT THEY PULLED THE CRAB BITS OUT OF OUR HANDS. A BIT CREEPY BUT ALSO COOL .
I CAN RECOMMEND THIS EXPERIENCE TO YOU IF YOU ARE EVER IN THE AREA . IT WAS REALLY FUN.
