Kirt Onthank teaches biology at Walla Walla University and is interested in the ecological physiology and behavioral ecology of marine invertebrates, especially cephalopods. Photo provided by Walla Walla University
During the second week of April 2024, Kirt Onthank, professor of biology at Walla Walla University, was invited to share his expertise on octopuses on NBC News. Onthank contributed to a story about an Oklahoman family that recently welcomed 50 octopus hatchlings and has been garnering attention on TikTok.
According to the NBC news release, the Clifford family has been documenting the journey of caring for their pet octopus, Terrance, on TikTok for several months. Onthank, who also manages a TikTok account featuring octopus biology content, was asked to shed light on the story as an expert with significant published research on octopuses. When he heard of the Clifford family's story, Onthank said, “My first reaction was, ‘they are in for a lot of work.’”
Onthank is one of seven biology professors at Walla Walla University, and serves as the director of Rosario Beach Marine Laboratory, a satellite campus of the university in Anacortes, Wash. Students studying biology at Walla Walla University may study octopuses if they choose.
“I typically have an octopus or two in my lab during the school year that students work with, and generally have many octopuses (between 20 and 40) at Rosario during the summer that students get to work with and study,” said Onthank.
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NBC News report, April 11, 2024: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUPRktkFRt0
New York Times report on the Clifford family, April 11, 2024: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/11/us/tiktok-octopus-pet-oklahoma.html