The Oregon Coast Aquarium has a new resident: a four-pound female giant Pacific octopus named Jukebox. The scientific team discovered her on August 29 near Johnson Rock reef, about a mile offshore, while replacing an underwater acoustic receiver. The device helps track tagged animals—primarily sharks—as part of research conducted in partnership with Oregon State University. The octopus was brought to the aquarium under a scientific permit and moved into the Octopus Grotto exhibit on September 30, after the facility’s previous oldest octopus was released. Jukebox is expected to be returned to the same reef in about a year.
The octopus was named after the character Jukebox from Matt Dinniman’s popular Dungeon Crawler Carl book series. Like octopuses that change their coloration and appearance to blend into their surroundings, the character can change form. At the aquarium, Jukebox will live alongside a 22.5-pound male named Donut, named after another character from the series, Princess Donut. The books follow a man and his pedigreed cat as they make their way through a dungeon run by aliens and turned by them into a reality show; in June, Peacock ordered a live-action adaptation. Jukebox can be seen at the aquarium in Newport.
Based on: What do an Oregon octopus and ‘Dungeon Crawler Carl’ have in common?