What started as a wholesome father-son bonding activity quickly became a full blown TikTok sensation, all thanks to one octopus. Actuallyā¦make that fifty octopuses.
Cameron Clifford of Edmond, Oklahoma, had promised to get his cephalopod-obsessed 9-year old Cal their very own pet octopus. After making a call to a local aquarium, Clifford made good on that promise, and a California two-spot (or bimac) octopus, which they would name Terrance, arrived via mail order. Cue Calās instant tears of joy.
Only, in hindsight, they might have wanted to name him Teresa instead, because only two months later, Terranceās already too-small tank was filled with dozens of eggs.
"We kind of estimate there was about between 40 and 70 eggs but every one that hatched, that I saw, I was able to catch and contain. It was exactly 50," Clifford told Good Morning America.
As Clifford explains in one TikTok video (using a posh british voice for the narration, making it even more National Geographic-esque), once female bimac octopuses lay eggs, that usually signals the end of their life cycle, and they stop taking care of themselves in order to protect their young.
So, even though Terrance (who was eventually renamed Terry) could recognize Clifford and Cal, nothing could coax her out of her cave after the eggs were laid. However, latching onto their arms remained one of her favorite pastimes.
Terranceās eggs were at first deemed infertile by several experts that Clifford talked to, which made her upcoming demise all the more tragic. When the unexpected miracle finally did happen, Clifford begged for other aquariums in his area to take the hatchlings. They all declined.
So naturally, he reached out to TikTok. He shared the previously private videos documenting their journey, including the insane saga of capturing each newly hatched octopus and putting it in its own incubated container, so that they wouldnāt eat each other. The Clifford home honestly became a bona fide marine biologist training center. Only with exponentially more puns.
Behold, "Clamsterdam":
Speaking of puns, viewers also helped give each of the octo-babies. Some examples include InverteBrett, Swim Shady, Bill Nye the Octopi, Sea-yonce and Jay-Seaā¦you get the picture.
Luckily, after Cliffordās account went mega viral, other aquariums, universities and research facilities agreed to give them homes, per USA Today.
Clifford might be out thousands of dollarsāand hoursāon his impromptu project, but he wouldn't trade it for the world.
"As far as regrets, there's so many," he told USA Today. "I wish I wouldn't have opened that valve that way and dumped all that dirty seawater onto my kids' white carpet. That's certainly a regret. But overall, no, it's been an absolutely fun experience, not just for me, but also for my kids."
And in case youāre wondering: Yes, Terrence is still, miraculously, alive. Though she is expected to die in the next several weeks, the Cliffords are more than prepared to be surprised. Again.
Though Clifford attests that one should probably refrain from have an octopus for a pet, he tells his followers that āyou will learn a lot about yourselfā by taking care of one.
āThereās always some valve or seal thatās not completely closed, and your storm resistant carpet isnāt rated for gallons and gallons of seawater. Youāll learn that seawater and electricity donāt always get along. You will learn new things and meet incredible people and will learn that wildlife is magnificent. But most of all, youāll learn to love a not-so-tiny octopus like Terrance.ā
Follow along on more of Clifford and Cal's octopus adventures on TikTok.