Last December, Pall Sigurdsson and his pals decided to take a swim in the waters around Indonesia. Little did they know they’d come across a small sea creature in need. While Sigurdsson was exploring the ocean floor, he discovered a tiny coconut octopus taking shelter inside a clear plastic cup.
Seeing so much trash littering the ocean floor was disheartening, but what really worried Sigurdsson was how dangerous this particular piece of litter was for the little critter. That cup wasn’t a safe hiding place for the octopus; it made it an easy target for any hungry animals on the lookout for a quick meal.
That’s when Sigurdsson and his buddies sprang into action. They spent the rest of their dive scouring the ocean floor for a better home for the octopus. They offered the octopus various clamshells until it picked one it liked.
Time was running out because they were running low on air, so they had to speed up their house-hunting mission. Luckily, the octopus eventually made its choice. Sigurdsson’s account mentions that coconut octopuses can be pretty choosy about their shells.
So, this little guy tried out numerous shells, with many fails, before settling on the right one. While the octopus is safe now, it’s important to remember that he’s not the only one dealing with pollution in his home.
According to Sigurdsson, “We tend to pay more attention to plastic pollution because it’s visible, as some of it floats on the surface.” “I’ve spent a lot of time diving around the world, and the amount of trash on the ocean floor is just shocking.”
Every year, between 4.8 and 12.7 metric tons of plastic end up in the world’s oceans, endangering many species. The scale of this problem can be hard to grasp at first, but hopefully, the story of this little creature’s housing predicament can shed light on it.
Image/ Video Credit & More Info; PallSigurdsson/Youtube
