Pensamientos

Even for an old guy love is still possible. J-1's story proves the fact: Love almost passed J-1 by. At 5 years of age and 52 pounds, he's reaching the end of the line for his species, the largest octopus in the world. J-1 is in a period of decline that occurs before octopus die. His skin is eroding. His suckers have divots. "He's not as strong as he used to be," said aquarist Deanna Trobaugh. With so little time left, J-1 wasn't going to let the sweet Aurora slip through his eight octopus arms. While she had to make the first move, he caught on quickly, especially for an octopus who was collected on a beach near Seldovia in 1999 when he was about the size of a quarter and has lived the bachelor life since. To get the two together, aquarium staff put Aurora in a plastic bag and then gently poured her into J-1's 3,600-gallon exhibit tank. She sank to the bottom of the tank and then made the first move, going over to J-1, who was hanging on a rock wall. She reached out an arm and touched him. Only then did he wake up to the fact he had company. Contact made, she went back to her corner of the tank. J-1, dispelling water from his siphon to get quickly across the tank, was in hot pursuit. "They both were gripping the back wall of the tank. He just about covered her completely," Hocking said. The two remained intertwined for about eight hours. It's possible that during that time when J-1 was exploring Aurora's mantle with his many suckered arms that he passed his sperm packet to her, Hocking said. What the aquarium staff does know is that when they separated, J-1 flashed some colors, turning almost white and then dark red. "It looks like instinct took over during that encounter and they did what they were supposed to do," Hocking said. J-1 gives all of us elderly gentelmen hope. Athough our skin is eroding,and our suckers have divots and we aren't as strong as we used to be, a little push from a lovely female can re-kindle the spark and restore our amorous instincts and nature will awaken the dormant feelings, long suppressed. I await the comely Aurora, to dance, entwined in our many-armed embrace of forgotten passion while I flash my colors in a dark red aura of renewal and love. :-)