EDMOND, Okla. — An Edmond, Okla., family wanted to spark their child's interest in a new pet, but they got a little more than they bargained for.
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According to Good Morning America, 9-year-old Cal Clifford has been obsessed with octopuses since he was about 2 years old.
According to Good Morning America, Cameron Clifford promised his son he would get an octopus, so his eldest son got an aquarium and sent a two-spotted California octopus in a plastic bag. It was purchased at a sale. According to the Associated Press, the octopus came from a local aquarium in Oklahoma.
“He was always fascinated by marine biology, especially octopuses. For most birthdays and holidays, he asked for an octopus as a pet,” Cal Clifford's father, Cameron Clifford, told People. Ta. “We always laughed it off. We replaced it with a stuffed octopus or a toy octopus, but over time, he persisted over the years. I We realized that this wasn't something he just forgot about.
According to the Associated Press, the boy named his pet octopus “Terence.”
“We really want to promote interest in children,” Cameron Clifford told The Associated Press. “Watching kids have dreams and make them come true is magical. Cal was fascinated with the natural world and marine biology from an early age.”
The entire adventure was filmed on the popular TikTok account, with Cameron Clifford narrating Terrence's story in a fake British accent, according to the Associated Press. It has gained thousands of followers on social media apps.
However, a few weeks after Terrence moved in, the family discovered that the octopus was actually a female who had laid about 50 eggs. The family believed the baby octopus was not fertilized until it began to hatch, according to the Associated Press. These were given clever names, such as “Rocket Larry, Squid Cuddy, Swim Shady, Jay-Cee, and Sea Yonce.”
“We weren't prepared to take care of so many babies, but at the same time we were very surprised. It's unusual for octopuses to be kept in captivity in Oklahoma, and it's very rare. I can tell you, I know it's done in other places, but it's pretty rare in the country,” Cameron Clifford said, People magazine reported.
The surviving baby octopus will eventually stay with its family until it can be moved to a more suitable home, People magazine reported.
“Our plan is to get them back into professional, appropriate homes and obviously into people who can care for them,” Cameron Clifford told People. “We have great traction with larger aquariums and research institutes. Several universities have expressed interest in them. And we have several who have actually committed to hosting them. Problem is too small to move anywhere at the moment.”
