As a Thaumoctopus mimicus, I never met my parents. That may sound tragic to you, but that's just how it is. When her eggs are nearly ready to hatch, the mother mimic's body decides that her time is over, and the children are left to their own devices, which may sound good to some kids, but it isn't really. A lot of us die. I was one of the luckier (or perhaps more skilled) babies, and am still alive today, as this post can attest to.
It all starts with a male mimic octopus. After he gives his sperm sac to a female mimic, depositing it in her mantle cavity, he only has a month or two left to live. The female then carries the sac around for several months, until her eggs can be safely laid out to be fertilized. When it comes time, the female does so, and uses the sperm to fertilize the eggs. Then she strings the eggs up on one of her arms. The suckers on her tentacles prevent the eggs from falling as she moves, because unlike most octopuses, us mimics still swim around and feed during this time.
And, like I said, the mother will die before her eggs hatch. Soon after she dies, we emerge, and float around the surface as larvae until we mature, and sink down to the bottom to begin living.
It all starts with a male mimic octopus. After he gives his sperm sac to a female mimic, depositing it in her mantle cavity, he only has a month or two left to live. The female then carries the sac around for several months, until her eggs can be safely laid out to be fertilized. When it comes time, the female does so, and uses the sperm to fertilize the eggs. Then she strings the eggs up on one of her arms. The suckers on her tentacles prevent the eggs from falling as she moves, because unlike most octopuses, us mimics still swim around and feed during this time.
And, like I said, the mother will die before her eggs hatch. Soon after she dies, we emerge, and float around the surface as larvae until we mature, and sink down to the bottom to begin living.
These, potentially, are what I could have looked like as a larva, despite these being of the species Octopus vulgaris, otherwise known as the common octopus.