Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Rare, Beautiful Octopus Captured In Waters Off San Pedro
An argonaut, a kind of octopus that you normally find in tropical or subtropical waters, made an appearance in the unseasonably balmy waters off the coast of San Pedro this week.Some fisherman accidentally scooped up to the female argonaut (also referred to as a paper nautilus) and brought it to the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro this week, according to The Daily Breeze (h/t LA Observed).
It's a rare sight to find an argonaut and not because this octopus managed to make it all the way to San Pedro, aquarist Jeff Landesman told The Breeze: "Usually they're out in the boonies - far out in the ocean where nobody's fishing, nobody's swimming, nobody's looking. There's probably more about her that we don't know than we do know."
The argonaut is being held inside a 4-foot-tall tank in an aquatic nursery, but we're not sure how long she'll last there. The Breeze notes that argonauts don't typically last much longer than two weeks in captivity.