Octopus settlement is still a largely unknown phase of a cephalopod’s life, primarily because scientists have rarely observed this transition from a free-swimming, planktonic stage to a benthic, settled lifestyle on the seafloor.

In the wild, only about 1% of octopuses survive to adulthood.

Image courtesy of Birch Aquarium

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

Guests can see the two juveniles in one of the small nursery habitats in the Coastal California section of the Adam R Scripps Living Seas Gallery. A divider separates the habitat into two spaces, allowing the octopuses to grow side by side while keeping them safely apart.

The two juvenile Red Octopuses were carefully moved into their new habitat, where a divider separates the space into two sections. This allows the octopuses to grow side by side while keeping them safely apart/Image courtesy of Birch Aquarium

To ensure the octopuses were ready for display, Tracewell and the Birch team waited until the creatures had completed their settlement metamorphosis and reached the juvenile stage. But because no one had previously raised this species from hatching to juvenile in aquarium care, there was no way to know exactly when that milestone would occur.

A Red Octopus just days old compared with one at nine months old/Image courtesy of Birch Aquarium

“Turns out it takes about nine months for them to become juveniles,” said Tracewell, who recently won an award at the 2026 Regional Aquatics Workshop for her presentation on the red octopus settlement.

Birch Aquarium opens daily at 9 am with closing hours varying by day. View our guide to a day at Birch here.