The Tender Tentacles Of Love -- Ursula The Octopus Hints At A Beau Near Aquarium

There is romance in the lair beneath the Seattle Aquarium.

Ursula, the celebrity octopus freed by the aquarium five weeks ago, has set up house in a rock pile under the aquarium pier.

And it looks like she's in love.

"This is the way it's supposed to happen," says Roland Anderson, octopus keeper at the aquarium. "She picked a den right beneath the aquarium, and there are signs that she has a suitor nearby."

On March 12, scores of schoolchildren waved goodbye as Anderson released the 40-pound female after two years in the octagonal tank just inside the main door of the aquarium.

Divers have made several house calls to Ursula's rocky den, shooting videos and noting the growing pile of crab shells just outside the entrance. The shells are a clear sign Ursula is hunting and eating and that her diet has improved from two years of frozen herring provided upstairs.

They've also noted that another octopus has moved into a nearby den - probably a male drawn by the chemical scent transmitted by octopuses at Ursula's time of life, Anderson says.

If all goes as hoped, the male will deliver a packet of sperm to Ursula, who will save it for future use. When she's ready, she will deposit 50,000 to 75,000 eggs, probably in her den, fertilize them and spend several months nursing them until they hatch.

Anderson promises to keep Ursula's fans informed of any such developments.

In the meantime, the aquarium has received more than 800 suggested names for Ursula's female successor in the aquarium.

Anderson will announce a decision during a lecture about Ursula and the octopus life cycle at 11 a.m. today at the aquarium, 1483 Alaskan Way. The event is free with regular admission to the aquarium.

He was not revealing a decision yesterday, but inside information points toward the name of a well-known former White House intern.

Ross Anderson's phone message number is 206-464-2061.