Science AMA Series: I’m Rich Ross, husbandry biologist specializing in
cephalopods and coral. It’s World Octopus Day, AMA!
Abstract
Hey Reddit! I’m Rich Ross, a husbandry biologist specializing in
cephalopods and coral at the California Academy of Sciences’ Steinhart
Aquarium. I keep weird and unique animals thriving and breeding in
aquariums, as well as do fieldwork on coral spawning and
animal-collection for display and animal-behavior studies. Cephalopods
are the coolest animals on the planet (3 hearts, blue blood, ring-shaped
brain, related to snails, like something from a Harryhausen movie and
secretly plotting to take over the world), and I’ve been working with
them for almost 20 years. I was the first to close the lifecycle of the
dwarf cuttlefish, and my colleagues and I recently published a paper on
the breeding and behavior of the currently undescribed Larger Pacific
Striped Octopus—an octopus that does things very differently from
other octopuses (like beak-to-beak mating). I’ll be answering questions
starting at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET, and you can find me anytime on Twitter
or packhead.net. Also accepting questions about juggling, martial arts,
glassblowing, and hairless dogs. It is 12:11 and I have to run to do
some work stuff. I’ll check back in tonight around 6 pm Pacific Time to
answer any follow ups or questions I missed. Thanks! 8pm, I think I got
everyone, I’ll check back again tomorrow.