A US father who famously purchased a pet octopus for his son has warned anyone against doing the same.
In October 2023, Dr. Cameron Clifford decided to make his son's lifelong dream come true and get the octopus-obsessed youngster an eight-legged friend for his ninth birthday.
The youngster, named Cal, decided to name his new pet Terrance, with the family believing the aquatic animal to be male.
Unbeknownst to the family, Terrance was actually female – and pregnant.
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She would go on to lay a cluster of 50 eggs not long after moving into the family home. A keen octopus enthusiast, Cal knew that a female octopus releasing eggs was a signal the creature was approaching the end of her life, a development which proved to be heartbreaking for the youngster.
At the same time, Dr Clifford decided to share the family's journey on TikTok, after updates on his personal social media accounts had proven to be popular among his friends and family.
The decision paid off, and the family went viral, with millions of people viewing Clifford's latest octopus updates.
Terrance ultimately passed away in April 2024, with the family documenting her death and burial online.
Activity on the account gradually wound down in the months after Terrance's death, with the final post on the account informing followers that the surviving octopus hatchlings were now teenagers and preparing to be moved to better-suited homes at aquariums in July 2024.
The Cliffords' decision to take a step back from social media left many wondering what happened to the young animals – a story which Dr Clifford would finish in April 2025 in an interview with The New York Times.
And devastatingly, the brood's story did not have a happy ending.
During the interview, Dr Clifford revealed that part of his decision to step away from TikTok was down to all the baby octopuses not surviving.
"The pressure to keep the babies alive was pretty suffocating," he explained, revealing that the last of the hatchlings had died by August 2024.
Unsure of how to break the news to thousands of dedicated viewers, he deleted the app from his phone.
Reflecting on the family's octopus journey, which proved to be an extremely expensive one for the Cliffords, Cameron sought to caution others about the reality of owning an octopus, saying: "I think the obvious lesson is that they’re not good pets.
"They’re not durable pets, they’re not cheap pets, they’re not easy pets. And they are extremely remarkable, and they have personalities, and they’re smart."
Looks like you're better off sticking with a cat or dog after all.
Topics: Animals, Viral, Social Media, TikTok, Parenting
Brenna Cooper