"They came from the deep. They have 15-foot tentacles. And now they're oozing around Pier 39. They're three rarely seen giant Pacific octopuses, caught by a crab fisherman and now - in all their gelatinous, eight-limbed glory - mesmerizing biologists and the public at Aquarium of the Bay. "They're so iconic - it's sort of like shaking hands with a sea monster," said marine biologist Mike McGill, describing the experience of holding one of the new arrivals. "They wrap their arms around you so they can feel you and taste you with their suction cups. If they don't think you're a predator, they can be very friendly." Aquarium of the Bay, a nonprofit run by the Bay Institute, every year tries to persuade crab fishermen at nearby Pier 45 to turn over giant Pacific octopuses that sneak into the crab traps in search of fresh Dungeness. The aquarium uses the octopuses for research and to give the public a chance to observe the mysterious creatures, the largest octopus species in the world but so reclusive it's almost never seen. Usually, fishermen toss giant Pacific octopuses back in the ocean or grill them up with a little garlic and lemon. The aquarium is lucky if it gets one a year." - Anne Bouey from Bookmarklet

What happens to them at the aquarium? If the get 1 a year do they have a display of 5 or 6? - Rachel Lea Fox from iPhone

"The octopuses are each about 4 years old, geriatric for the species, which has a life span of 3 to 5 years. They'll live out their days at the aquarium free from predators and with plenty of Dungeness crab to feast upon. Scientists, meanwhile, hope to learn a little more about the elusive, wily animals. Octopuses may be shy, but they're able to twist open jars with their arms and squeeze their squishy bodies through the 7-inch opening of a crab trap." - Anne Bouey