POULSBO, Wash. (AP) — Giant Pacific octopus Mr. Bob has been a resident of the Poulsbo (Pauls’-bow) Wash., Marine Science Center for nearly a year. On Thursday, it was time for him to swim free — and that’s what he did, sent off in the middle of Liberty Bay with a big kiss from center director Patrick Mus.
Mr. Bob is the second such octopus to be caught and put on display to show center visitors the diversity of sea life in Puget Sound. His predecessor, Mr. Sam, was released last June.
The departing octopus weighs 50 pounds and measures between 9 and 10 feet from tip to tip. He’s estimated to be between 3 and 4 years old; the creatures live 4 to 5 years.
Octopuses die shortly after mating and Mus hopes that Mr. Bob will mate in his natural habitat.
