SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography has announced a remarkable first: the successful hatching of more than 3,000 Red Octopus hatchlings — a species native to the California coast and known for its vivid red coloration.

The milestone marks a major achievement for the aquarium’s Husbandry Team, which discovered a female Red Octopus guarding tens of thousands of tiny eggs in a behind-the-scenes habitat. According to staff, the eggs were likely fertilized by a male before the octopus arrived at the facility.

Each egg, smaller than a grain of rice, was carefully monitored as it developed. Over the following weeks, aquarium experts witnessed an incredible transformation. They watched the yolk sacs shrink, chromatophores (the cells responsible for the

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