ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Aquarium announced it has lost a member of its family.
Fluffy, the aquarium's giant Pacific octopus, died. The aquarium said giant Pacific octopuses have an average lifespan of 2-3 years.
"She lived a happy and healthy life," the aquarium wrote. Octopuses show very specific end of life behaviors, the aquarium said. The team at the St. Louis Aquarium made Fluffy as comfortable as possible during the last phase of her life, which is known as senescence.
"Fluffy was a wonderful ambassador for her species, showing off her intelligence by squeezing through the tunnel that connects the two sides of her habitat, solving puzzles as a form of enrichment and even painting a few masterpieces. Her legacy lives on in the hearts of the Aquarium team and all of our guests who had the chance to get to know her over the past year," the aquarium wrote.
Aquarium visitors shared their condolences on the aquarium's Facebook post.
"Sad to hear this. We had the pleasure of seeing her before the pandemic hit. Loved our visit to your facility," Dawn Kovarik wrote.
"Oh no! I am so thankful we had the chance to visit her multiple times this past year. She is the one we most associate with the aquarium. Thank you for caring for her," Meredith Spiekerman Byers wrote.
When asked if the aquarium would be getting a new octopus, the aquarium shared the following response on its Facebook,
