Ah she is determined, this mommy. She is holding on by threads of life that are thin, but very strong. Her maternal instinct is so very strong that not even nine months of starvation can take her away from her hatchlings. No, she will not leave them, not yet.
Mommy octopi spend seven months protecting, washing and defending their young. So Aurora, has gone without any real sustenance for almost nine months. Her eggs began to hatch very slowly; incredibly slowly because after all, the workers thought that the eggs were sterile. Ah, but what a surprise and miracle.
As Aurora continues to wash the unhatched eggs, they continue to hatch. At last count, there were over 1,000 hatchlings and they were beginning to feed on crustations and other food supplied by the Alaska SeaLife Center staff.
Mommy octopi spend seven months protecting, washing and defending their young. So Aurora, has gone without any real sustenance for almost nine months. Her eggs began to hatch very slowly; incredibly slowly because after all, the workers thought that the eggs were sterile. Ah, but what a surprise and miracle.
As Aurora continues to wash the unhatched eggs, they continue to hatch. At last count, there were over 1,000 hatchlings and they were beginning to feed on crustations and other food supplied by the Alaska SeaLife Center staff.
According to reports at the Center's website, the hatchlings haven't changed in appearance, but they expect to begin photographing them again this week. I look forward to seeing Aurora's babies. She is still the good mommy; never leaving the eggs unattended. She is doing her maternal duty. She is a mother in love with her babies and she is hanging on to see each and everyone before she passes away.
There is no room for sadness here. Aurora is giving her babies a great start. She is insuring that the eggs are in good condition until they hatch. She is watching, washing and waiting. She is a mommy and a miracle in one breath...defying science to see her young hatch. She is a tentacled miracle giving her babies water wings to carry them on to their motherhood and beyond.
There is no room for sadness here. Aurora is giving her babies a great start. She is insuring that the eggs are in good condition until they hatch. She is watching, washing and waiting. She is a mommy and a miracle in one breath...defying science to see her young hatch. She is a tentacled miracle giving her babies water wings to carry them on to their motherhood and beyond.
1 comment:
We can all learn so many lessons about parenting from our animal friends. When I was directing my last school, I had a special hamster named buttercup who lived in the lobby of the school, right outside my office. She greeted all of the children each day. When she had her babies she was such an excellent mommie. The best. She gave so much to the school, to the children, and to the parents. Provided such a really natural way to discuss "delicate" issues such as parenting, where babies come from, nurturing, etc. Buttercup was an escape artist though and would frequently get out of her cage and into my office. One day she got out and got stuck behind my desk where she could not be seen, hefty mama that she was. She crossed the rainbow bridge there. When we discovered her, it took so many of us to move all of that attached furniture to remove her. She gave her last gift to the children and families when we had her funeral and children and families were allowed to talk about death. Her cage remained in the lobby for two weeks with parent "helpers" that I wrote to help parents talk with children about death and dying. Yes, we could all learn a lot about life by simply listening to our animal friends.
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