Terrance the octopus update: Family whose lives were upended after their pet gave birth to FIFTY babies reveal she has died

The family who accidentally gave birth to 50 octopus babies after not realizing the pet they bought for their son was full of eggs have said the animal has died.

Terrance the octopus went viral earlier this year after dad Cameron Clifford revealed the chaos that ensued after he bought his son Cal an octopus for his birthday.

Clifford said his son was obsessed with craving an octopus and after years of pleading for an octopus, he finally managed to get his hands on a female California two-spot.

Much to the families’ dismay, Terrance was loaded with fertile eggs that soon hatched, leaving behind another 50 baby octopuses.

In a post on their TikTok page dedicated to Terrence, who has more than 450,000 followers, the family revealed that she passed away on April 22.

In a post on their TikTok page dedicated to Terrence, who has more than 450,000 followers, the family revealed that she passed away on April 22.

The moving post explained how they placed her in a box next to objects that reminded them of her before burying it under a clump of trees.

‘It was understandably a very sad day. After laying the eggs, Terrance lived another 135 days.

‘Cal chose the name Terrance after a rebellious character in a book he had recently read. For many reasons, I always thought it was a strange name for an octopus.

‘I assumed it was irony, coming from the Latin word Terra, meaning earth and land. But the name Terrance actually means soft and supple in Latin.

‘Life can be sad, but still full of meaning and even though this tank is empty now, this sleeping boy [Cal] just feet away from it, his soul feels a little fuller now. So much joy from a not-so-little octopus.”

The family initially thought Terrence was actually male before she started hatching a “chandelier” of small eggs two months after having her.

Experts told Clifford that the eggs were unfertilized and that the release of the eggs would only mean the end of the female octopus’ lifespan.

However, one evening in February, Clifford took one of the eggs and was left completely shocked.

Cameron Clifford and his wife bought Terrance the octopus for their nine-year-old son Cal

When the Clifford family first brought Terrance home, they furnished their home to house just one octopus

The family was amazed when the eggs hatched. They took the opportunity, bought more tanks and supplies to care for them, and documented the trip

He told USA today: ‘I accidentally dropped it, and this little droplet comes out and spreads out these little tentacles and makes three swims across my view.”

Terrance the octopus eventually hatched a total of 50 babies, and “all bets were off,” he said.

The family had to arrange fifty separate houses for the unexpected offspring, spending thousands of dollars on clams, crabs and snails, not to mention the costs of repairing damage to the house due to water spills and a small electrical fire.

“Don’t buy an octopus as a pet unless you’re ready to lose your children’s sleep and college money at the same time,” he said jokingly.

Speaking of one messy incident, Clifford said, “I wish I hadn’t opened that valve like that and dumped all that dirty seawater on my kids’ white carpet.”

Meanwhile, the desperate father began calling aquariums and research facilities, begging them to take the babies from him.

“It’s a lot of work,” he said. ‘A lot of work and emotion and money and time.’

“I don’t know if we are fully prepared for any of these challenges, but the hope is to relocate as many people as possible.

“And those who can’t, we’ll figure out a way to keep them alive and be responsible. It’s not really a concrete plan, but so far we’re doing pretty well.”

The experience is overall joyful and rewarding, as he said, “It was an absolutely fun experience, not only for me, but for my children as well.”

This undated photo taken by Cameron Clifford shows Terrance, the pet octopus his son Cal adopted at their home in Edmond, Oklahoma

They were stunned to discover that Terrance was indeed a female, and the fifty eggs she laid earlier this year began to hatch.

The family had to arrange fifty separate houses for the unexpected offspring, spending thousands of dollars on clams, crabs and snails, not to mention the costs of repairing damage to the house from water spills and a small electrical fire.

When Clifford told his son they could order an octopus from a local aquarium store, the nine-year-old immediately burst into tears.

He said, “His ultimate dream, his cloud nine, the greatest thing that could ever happen in anyone’s life, had just become a possibility, and he just broke down.”

Social media users have expressed their sadness over the news of Terrance’s death.

One person wrote, “I’m so sorry Terrance passed away. Your family has done a fantastic job caring for this unique creature.

‘Thank you for sharing her with us. This was my favorite story on TikTok. Hugs to your son.”

Another commented: ‘I never thought I’d be crying over an octopus on the internet, but here I am. Thank you for sharing her journey.”