Mother octopus makes the ultimate sacrifice for her babies

The giant Pacific octopus is the largest of its kind, weighing over 70 kilograms and up to seven meters across. These gentle, intelligent animals will only breed once in their five-year lifespan. After mating, the female finds a rocky den where she can lay her eggs. It takes a long time for her eggs to develop, about six to 10 months. So it's usually late fall before the eggs are finally ready to hatch. Looking like clusters of grapes, her 80,000 eggs are carefully positioned along the rock ceiling of her den. Pale and gray, the female has lost most of her body weight and all her rich red color. The past six months, she has not eaten or left her den. She's slowly dying. Reproduction is the final act of a female octopus's life. White lesions appear on her skin as her healing capacity has ceased to function. It's a race against time now. Will she survive long enough to see her eggs hatch? Forcing water over them with her siphon, she provides the eggs with oxygen and keeps them free of harmful bacteria and algae. Now it's her only purpose in life. Inside the strings of eggs, her young enter the final stages of development. Her long ordeal is finally over. The baby octopuses begin to free themselves from their egg casings. She gently blows the hatchlings out of the den and into open water. The tiny young swim to the surface to ride the cold water currents. Of her 80,000 eggs, only a few will survive to maturity. Countless empty egg casings reveal the brood has departed. She's given her life to ensure her offspring have the best chance to survive.