The video has over 2.5 million views, some 12,000 reactions and more than 63,300 shares.
A video that shows the miracle of life always makes for a beautiful watch. So it comes as no surprise that a video of an octopus hatching from its egg managed to captivate the attention of thousands on Facebook.
Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center's video, posted on February 7, has been watched over 2.5 million times - and still very much counting.
"Our octopus laid eggs and we had several hatch!" says the post shared along with the video. "While we are cautiously optimistic, it is common for octopuses to lay over one hundred eggs in its clutch to ensure at least one makes it to adulthood. Thankfully, these little critters are going to receive the best possible chance from our incredible animal care team."
Just 10 seconds long, the video shows a baby octopus hatching from its egg and swimming off. At first glance it seems like you're looking at a strange flower but it is actually a cluster of octopus eggs. Seconds into the video you can see the little guy breaking out of the egg and immediately changing colour before swimming off.
"Octopuses have chromatophores that change color allowing them to camouflage themselves. It appears that the sudden stimulation of hatching caused them to fire off," Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center explained in a comment.
The video makes for a wonderful watch and chances are you'll want to play it on a loop. Watch it below:
Along with the millions of views, the video has also received over 12,000 reactions and more than 63,300 shares.
"They're so tiny and cute and I love how it changed colors right after hatching so cool!" says one Facebook user on the video. "This is so cool! Thought this was a flower!" says another.Click for more
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