Official News page 9

WEBCAM OF THE WEEK: THE OCTOCAM

by Hazed

We've seen webcams showing cute kittens and adorable puppies, but here's one where the animal being watched is a bit less cute and a lot more interesting. It's an octopus!

Deriq is a 40-pound giant octopus living at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, Oregon and there is now a streaming camera allowing you to watch him live. The OctoCam's operators say, "Octopuses are curious, smart - and strong. They're able to take apart even the smallest mechanical component, and seem to do so simply to entertain themselves. It was a challenge to come up with a housing that would protect the camera from the octopus - and vice-versa. Most commonly available hardware is made of metals that break down in seawater and could poison the octopus and his invertebrate tankmates.

"So our OctoCam team had to get creative. They designed a special camera housing from a stainless steel electrical box. To prevent zinc contamination from the steel, the box was coated with a special marine-grade powder coating. The bolts that hold the box together are made of non-toxic nylon, with all the edges filed off so the octopus can't unscrew them. The box is also strong enough to withstand the crushing strength of the octopus tentacles in case he decides to give it a good squeeze."

Watch Deriq here.

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