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Animals

Rare Video of a Baby Octopus Hatching Is Mesmerizing

Who knew a baby octopus could be so cute? Certainly not us! We’re used to seeing the giant and sometimes formidable-looking creatures in aquariums and in photos of the deep blue sea. But a new video of an octopus birth is going viral on Twitter — for simply being too adorable for words.

The rare footage, captured at Virginia Aquarium, shows a single teeny-tiny octopus wiggling free from a group of eggs. In a matter of 10 seconds, the little baby emerges into the world for the very first time — while almost instantly changing color from white to brown.

See the incredible moment for yourself in the post below.

It’s no wonder the tweet now has more than 14,000 retweets and 32,000 likes; it’s the perfect mix of heart-melting and fascinating. For those among us who want to learn more about the octopus birth, the staff at Virginia Aquarium took to Facebook to explain some interesting info about this new bundle of joy breaking free from the cluster of eggs.

In a Facebook post, the staff members wrote, “While we are cautiously optimistic, it is common for octopuses to lay over one hundred eggs in its clutch to ensure at least one makes it to adulthood. Thankfully, these little critters are going to receive the best possible chance from our incredible animal care team.”

If you’re curious about the newborn’s color change (we know we are!), the aquarium staff was happy to explain that phenomenon as well.

They wrote, “Octopuses have chromatophores that change color, allowing them to camouflage themselves. It appears that the sudden stimulation of hatching caused them to fire off.”

Talk about making a grand entrance into the world!

h/t Science Alert

Next, learn the adorable names for baby animals of different species in the video below:

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