Meet TANNER — our newest octopus ambassador!
Tanner, a giant Pacific octopus, is named in honor of someone with a strong sense of community and who was close to our aquarium family, Clive Tanner.
Clive’s energy, vision and constant commitment to helping people and improving the communities he lived in, led him to get involved in the creation of the aquarium. We are thrilled to honour this incredible man by having an octopus namesake.
Angus Matthews, the Centre's founding Executive Director, reflects on Clive’s connection to the Centre, “Octopus have three hearts. Clive Tanner, founding board member and catalyst for the creation of Sidney’s Shaw Centre, had such a remarkable heart for his community - it would take three hearts to match his commitment. It is so appropriate to remember Clive in this way. We miss him.”
More about this octopus:
Tanner arrived at the Centre November 8.
Upon arrival Tanner weighed 6lb/2.7kg.
Tanner will reside at our Centre for roughly 6 months and then be returned to the sea.*
*.The Centre’s octopus ambassador program takes many factors into account — giant Pacific octopuses grow incredibly large (and fast), have a short lifespan of 3-5 years and reproduce only once at the end of their life cycle. All of these elements contribute to why the Centre limits each octopus to approximately six months in residence.
Typically our animal care team release our octopus in the vicinity where they were found. Some time is spent observing from a distance as the octopus reacquaint themselves with their environment. Cinematographer John Roney filmed the animal care team releasing Henry, who was our resident Octopus at the Centre from June 2020-Dec 2020.
Cinematographer John Roney filmed the Centre’s animal care team releasing Henry, who was our resident Octopus at the Centre from June 2020-Dec 2020.