2 Red Octopuses Make Public Debut At Birch Aquarium

SAN DIEGO, CA — Two juvenile red octopuses are now on display at Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, marking a milestone for the aquarium's animal care team.

The octopuses hatched from eggs last October and are among six that the aquarium successfully raised to the juvenile stage. They are believed to be among the first red octopuses successfully raised from hatching to the juvenile stage in an aquarium.

Guests can see the two octopuses in separate sections of a nursery habitat in the Coastal California section of the Adam R. Scripps Living Seas Gallery.

The red octopuses began life as tiny, free-swimming animals before settling on the seafloor and developing into juveniles. As they matured, they developed more sophisticated camouflage, including changes in their eyes, skin and coloration.

In the wild, about 1% of octopuses survive to adulthood, according to Birch Aquarium.

"Watching them grow over the last 10 months has been such an incredible experience," said Maddy Tracewell, senior aquarist of animal health at Birch Aquarium. "Being able to finally share them with our guests and move two on display is such an exciting milestone."

Tracewell also presented her findings on rearing red octopus paralarvae at the 2026 Regional Aquatics Workshop. Tracewell received the workshop's Best of RAW: Best First-Time Presenter Award for the presentation.

"The last few months have been such a remarkable journey, and I'm excited to continue sharing what I've learned with aquarium colleagues and scientists around the world to help advance the care and understanding of this remarkable species."

Birch Aquarium is open daily at 9 a.m., with closing times varying by day.