Octopuses could lose eyesight and struggle to survive if ocean temperatures keep rising, study finds

A newly hatched octopus. Global heating ‘could have a simultaneous impact on multiple generations’ of octopuses, researchers in Australia say. Photograph: Dr Qiaz Hua

Octopuses could lose vision and struggle to survive due to heat stress by the end of the century if ocean temperatures continue to rise at the projected rate, a new study has found.

While previous research has suggested octopuses are highly adaptable, the latest research found heat stress from global heating could result in impaired eyesight and increased deaths of pregnant mothers and their unborn young.