34 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MARCH 30-APRIL 5, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com FACE TO FACE Senior Aquarist Rene Carbajal likes to greet the three giant Pacific octopuses currently under his care with some salsa music. They are quite curious and interactive with humans, especially for solitary creatures, who can be dangerous to each other to the point of eating one another after mating. Giant Pacific octopuses like depths and live within the Alaska-HawaiiBaja triangle. They also like Carbajal, as the Weekly observed thanks to the miracle of video communication. He speaks to me virtually, from the service area—the back side of the at Monterey Bay Aquarium, where his octopuses are so eager to see him they sometimes rise out of the water. “See, this little girl here,” he says, smiling, his hand immersed in the pink mass covered with white coils. I can see it breathing while Carbajal gives her some shrimp and squid, commenting that this octopus eats more frutti di mare than him. “She is holding me now. She is tasting me, grabbing me, giving me a little massage. It feels good. She is not eating yet because she is holding me, just to be with me.” Carbajal has been with the aquarium for 12 years. He started as a hobbyist while still living in Mexico City, where he kept “all animals you can imagine,” from fish tanks and home coral reefs to chickens and ducks. But it’s an expensive hobby and a lot of work. So in his 30s, Carbajal went back to school to become a marine biologist. He is a father of two girls, ages 4 and 7, who got to name daddy’s three work pets and consider themselves “the luckiest girls in the world,” he says, whenever they get a chance to visit the octopuses. Weekly: In the first minute you used the word “cute” five times. Carbajal: They are so cute. Definitely very cute to me. They have those puppy eyes. I whistle at them and they come. They definitely enjoy the company. Sometimes I spent 30 minutes playing with each. The bond is very strong. It takes them several months to start trusting me when they come here. They are so intelligent and alien-looking. They change colors and texture. Each of their eight arms can work independently; they could be touching and exploring separately eight people at a time. And they are curious about humans. They want to explore. Could anyone keep them as pets at home? It would be very hard. They can have up to a 28-foot arm spam. What are their favorite octopus games? A lot of play with target objects. Look at all those toys [Carbajal presents shelves of multicolored plastic objects]. The other day I was doing window maintenance [at the front of the aquarium], and she stole a magnet from me. She knew it was me. So I had to come to the service area to recover it. I gave her some food but she still wouldn’t let go. Finally, I had to give her another toy. They can be mischievous. Are all octopuses the same, personality-wise? They have different personalities. Girls are more interactive. They live for two to five years. Their personality is changing over time. When they turn 1, they are at their prime—the strongest and most playful. That’s the time when they like to play rough and I love when they do it. They are very muscular and they try to pull me into the water. It feels kind of like when you play with the dog and he doesn’t want to let go of something. Sometimes they leave marks on me—I call them octopus kisses. When they get older, they stop coming and playing. It’s sad, but that’s their lifespan. What don’t humans know about octopuses? That they are the best moms in the world. They lay 80,000 eggs at once and they guard them until they hatch, even if that means dying herself out of hunger. And dads? Dads just mature and die. After they mate, a female often eats the male. That’s why we don’t keep them together. They don’t see each other but they are in the same water and they can sense each other—for example, if one of the females lay eggs. It seems that they like you more than they like each other. They like to play with me. They don’t ever want to let me go. But they also like to interact with people in the front. They see thousands of people, but they recognize me. I know that because I can see in their eyes that they are looking straight at me. No matter what, at that moment they are looking at you and you can see: This is what they are looking at. Octopus’ Garden A Monterey Bay Aquarium biologist gets paid to pet the biggest octopuses in the ocean, and they love him back. By Agata Pop˛eda If an octopus is your pet choice, the most practical way to make your dreams come true is to become a marine biologist, like Rene Carbajal, a senior aquarist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, pictured above while cuddling with one of his “girls.” DANIEL DREIFUSS The Pet Issue TM 1520 Del Monte Blvd. Seaside • 831-392-1520 • googiegrill.com Entree Seared Florentine Salmon 38 Grilled Sea Bass 38 Filet Mignon & Lobster 55 Rack of Lamb 46 Prime Rib 48 Stuffed Cornish Hen 38 Brunch Specials 8am to 2pm Cheese Blintzes 19 Crab Cake Benedict 23 Spring Frittata 18 Pre-fixe Menu Noon to close Starter Crab Bisque or House Garden Salad Dessert Chocolate Mousse, Swedish Creme, or Tiramisu Easter Specials
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