NEWPORT – A new octopus will make its public debut on Nov. 13 in the central aquarium at the Visitor Center in Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center, and the public is invited to meet the animal and learn its new name. Meanwhile, Web visitors may be able to get a sneak preview of the new star.
The event, called “Octopus Day,” will feature activities for children, a display of a dissected octopus with its internal anatomy labeled, and the official unveiling – and first public feeding – of the new octopus at 1 pm.
From now through Nov. 12, visitors are invited to submit suggested names for the new animal when they stop by the Center, located on Yaquina Bay in Newport’s South Beach area. The person who submits the winning name will receive a prize. Only in-person submissions are being accepted.
This is the latest in a long series of giant Pacific octopuses to greet visitors at one of the Center’s most popular and endearing exhibits. The new animal is the successor to Deriq, the octopus who took the Internet by storm earlier this year when the Visitor Center installed a live, streaming Web video feed dubbed the OctoCam (http://hmsc.oregonstate.edu/visitor/octocam).
