{"id":290213,"date":"2025-11-14T01:41:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-14T01:41:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/290213\/"},"modified":"2025-11-14T01:41:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T01:41:08","slug":"tour-guide-picks-up-beach-rock-and-little-brown-blob-crawls-onto-her-hand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/290213\/","title":{"rendered":"Tour Guide Picks Up Beach Rock And ‘Little Brown Blob’ Crawls Onto Her Hand"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rebecca Jaffe, founder and owner of Sea to Shore Explorers<\/a>, a San Diego-based tide pooling ecotourism company, has encountered plenty of wildlife in her many trips to the beach. Through her business, she helps students, families and adults have unforgettable encounters with the San Diego coastline\u2019s many unique sea creatures on a daily basis.<\/p>\n

But the other day, Jaffe came across an animal who took her breath away. She\u2019d just finished a citizen science event and was exploring the beach to see who she might find. When she picked up a moss-covered rock, she saw something wriggling around on top of it.<\/p>\n

Sea to Shore Explorers<\/p>\n

\u201cI noticed a little bit of movement,\u201d Jaffe told The Dodo. \u201cAnd it just looked like a little brown blob, and then I saw the tentacles.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Jaffe looked closer, she realized there was a baby octopus on top of the rock. She\u2019d never seen an octopus who was quite so small.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was really excited to find it,\u201d Jaffe said. \u201cIt\u2019s the cutest, tiniest octopus I\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jaffe was amazed by how well the baby was blending into their surroundings. If she hadn\u2019t happened to pick up that exact rock, she would\u2019ve never noticed the octopus.<\/p>\n

\u201c[P]art of their survival is to not be found, to fit into tiny spaces [and] to blend in through both their coloring and their lack of any bones,\u201d Jaffe said.<\/p>\n

Because the octopus was so small, Jaffe couldn\u2019t identify the exact species. Based on the location, though, she knew the baby had to either be an East Pacific red octopus or a California two-spot octopus. These kinds of octopuses lay their eggs in safe crevices, but once the babies hatch, they have to survive on their own.<\/p>\n

Getty Images \/ Douglas Klug<\/a><\/p>\n

As Jaffe held onto the rock, the octopus climbed onto her thumb and up onto her hand. Jaffe held her breath as she tried to make sure the animal stayed safe.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo have it crawl on my hand was so cute, but I was really just kind of trying to be so careful,\u201d Jaffe said.<\/p>\n

After a few seconds, Jaffe guided the octopus back into the water. For Jaffe, her main priority is protecting the beach\u2019s delicate animals.<\/p>\n

Sea to Shore Explorers<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are the places where these animals live, and it\u2019s their home, and we need to protect it,\u201d Jaffe said. \u201cWe can\u2019t be taking anything home with us other than pictures.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even though Jaffe\u2019s encounter was only a few seconds long, she\u2019ll never forget the moment the smallest octopus she\u2019d ever seen crawled onto her hand.<\/p>\n

To learn more about Sea to Shore Explorers, you can check out their TikTok<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.\u00a0