Adopt an octopus

Upon hearing that Jules, the Giant Pacific Octopus at the National Sea Life Aquarium in Bray, was a huge fan of Shoctopus, the Shoctoposse has decided to adopt this wonderful cuddly creature as one of their own.

The Shoctoposse, the army of diehard rock fans of Shoctopus, known nation-wide for their cast iron livers and beautiful head banging hair, are intent on raising money to ensure that Jules has the best home an octopus could ever hope for.

Stavis, lead guitarist for Shoctopus, said on hearing of the adoption and news that he was now a proud father: “I will love that octopus as if he were my own tentacles and blood!”

To be a part of this adoption, all a member of the Shoctoposse has to do is to donate €2 and give us their name. They will be added to the roll of honour on this page and may proudly claim to be part of this great family. The money is paid to the Sea Life Aquarium in Bray to help with the feeding and other costs involved in housing Jules.

Cha, the lead singer, has vowed as part of his adoption ceremony: “I will never eat calamari again! Jules is family now and cephalopods are rock ‘n’ roll.”

To join the legion of proud parents, you can either donate using the Paypal button on this page, or by donating at the merchandise stand at any Shoctopus live show.

Tank, the bassist, in an uncharacteristic verbose speech, choked with emotion at the news that the adoption was approved, said: “Cool man!!”

Due to the laws in Ireland concerning the transport of live wildlife, it is regrettable that Jules will not be able to attend any of the Shoctopus live shows.

Ripper, the drummer, denied rumours that Jules will be replacing him in the band and says that he regrets his lack of octopus DNA: “Imagine if I had eight arms. I would be the greatest drummer the world has ever known.”

The Giant Pacific octopus grows bigger and lives longer than any other octopus species. The size record is held by a specimen that was 30 feet (9.1 meters) across and weighed more than 600 pounds (272 kilograms). Averages are more like 16 feet (5 meters) and 110 lbs (50 kilograms). At the moment Jules is still growing and he will limit his size based on the size of his tank.

Jules, like the other members of the octopus family, use special pigment cells in their skin to change colours and textures, and can blend in with even the most intricately patterned corals, plants, and rocks.

In the wild GPOs hunt at night, surviving primarily on shrimp, clams, lobsters, and fish, but have been known to attack and eat sharks as well as birds, using their sharp, beak-like mouths to puncture and tear flesh. They range throughout the temperate waters of the Pacific, from southern California to Alaska, west to the Aleutian Islands and Japan.

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(Please note: This is not Jules! It is another Giant Pacific Octopus in another aquarium. The Irish are not dumb enough to put sharks in a tank with an octopus.)

Jules's tank in Sea Life in Bray has been specially designed to simulate his natural habitat and also to make sure he doesn't slither out across the floor at night or when he has visiting guests.

Highly intelligent creatures, GPOs have learned to open jars, mimic other octopuses, and solve mazes in lab tests. Jules is a big fan of his Rubik's cube although he still hasn't been able to manage to fully crack the complex puzzle.

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This is Jules, our very own big girl at Christmas 2010.

They live to be about four years old, with both males and females dying soon after breeding. Females live long enough to tend fastidiously to their eggs, but they do not eat during this months-long brooding period, and usually die soon afterwards.

Giant Pacific Octopuses have huge, bulbous heads and are generally reddish-brown in colour. Their population numbers are unknown, and they do not currently appear on any lists of endangered or vulnerable animals. However, they are sensitive to environmental conditions and may be suffering from high pollution levels in their range.

Giant Pacific Octopus Research Program

At SEA LIFE Bray we’re challenging the great intelligence of Jules. Every day for 2 months we have been feeding her with a set of three different coloured boxes. The trick for Jules is that only one box contains his food. Every week we place her food in a different coloured box.

Our goal is to understand if she can associate his food source with colour and also how fast her brain can record the monthly change of colour of the box containing the food.

This activity is also GREAT FUN FOR HIM! It is very important for Jules to have plenty of interaction and stimulation. In a captive environment an octopus enjoys playing a lot, just like a child.

If you want to be there when Jules gets fed and to see her solving puzzles to find her food every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 16:00 there will be an octopus Feed & Talk.

Opening Hours are:
Mon – Fri: 11am - 5pm
Sat, Sun & School holidays: 10am - 6pm

Roll of Honour - The proud parents of Jules

Please note, all money raised goes to the Sea Life Aquarium in Bray to help pay for the food and other costs incurred with the upkeep of Jules. The money donated does not go to Shoctopus.