Aquarium at Central Campus Welcomes a New Occupant
Sophomore Michael Duede keeps a close eye on an octopus, the newest arrival at the Central Campus marine biology program.
Michael Duede, a sophomore in Kirk Embree’s aquarium science class at Central Campus, is hard at work on his 2nd year project: raising and studying a new octopus.
The octopus, which is still quite young, arrived at Central about a week ago. And for the octopus, it’s new home is the site of one of the top high school marine biology and aquarium science programs in the entire nation.
Duede says newly-arrived marine animals are sometimes stressed from their shipment, and as a result may stop eating. So when he feeds the octopus a piece of shrimp from a feeding stick, he’s glad to see it swallow it whole.
Duede also tries to keep the octopus stress free, so it won’t shoot out ink and contaminate the tank.
Embree expects the octopus to live for about two years. And while they are still uncertain of its gender, he believes it’s a male. Males have a longer tentacle for breeding, which Embree and Duede believe they’ve identified on this one.
When explaining why this octopus doesn’t have a name, Embree shares a scientist’s wives-tale: “If you name it, it’ll die.” Embree tells his students not to make these lab animals their pets.
Although for some, it must be hard.
