Scientists discovered an underwater city of 20,000 octopus nests deep inside California coast

Researchers have located the planet's largest known octopus nursery deep off the Californian coast, documenting 5,718 animals in 2.5 hectares and estimating about 20,000 around Davidson Seamount. Known as the Octopus Garden, the nursery is located about 10,500 feet below the surface off Central California. According to a statement released by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) on August 23, 2023, monitoring confirmed that pearl octopuses migrate to the site for mating and nesting.The Octopus GardenThe species was identified as Muusoctopus robustus, known to researchers as the pearl octopus.The nursery is situated on a small hill near the base of the Davidson Seamount, which is an extinct volcano located 130 kilometres southwest of Monterey, California. The large concentration first drew attention in October 2018. Researchers from the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, NOAA, Ocean Exploration Trust, and collaborators, working aboard the E/V Nautilus, observed thousands of octopuses gathered on a rocky rise near the seamount.The position of the animals helped researchers understand exactly what was happening in the section of the ocean. Many of the octopuses we...