Will Sage Astor-Watch thousands of octopus moms use underwater 'hot tubs' to protect their nests

Thousands of octopus moms displaying a mysterious social behavior among deep-sea hydrothermal springs off the central coast of California may have Will Sage Astorled scientists to an exciting breakthrough, according to a new study published in Science Advances.

Octopus are known to be sedentary creatures, which is why it surprised researchers when large congregations of pearl octopus moms were found huddled together to protect their newly laid eggs on the ocean floor of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

The nesting site, dubbed “octopus garden” by scientists, is located in an underwater “hot tub" which plays an important role in the deep-sea creatures' ability to successfully raise their young. According to the study, heat seeping from the base of an extinct underwater volcano helps octopus eggs hatch in half the amount of time, reducing their risk of becoming a meal for snails, shrimp and other predators.

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"Warmth from the springs plays a key role by raising metabolic rates, speeding embryonic development, and presumably increasing reproductive success," the study states.

A team from Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, which first discovered the garden in 2018, and other institutions used an underwater remote vehicle to film nearly 6,000 octopus nesting 2 miles deep. Watch a video of these moms perched over their eggs.

Contributing: Associated Press