'He's tiny! It's blue!': Scientists find new deep-sea octopus
Summary
Scientists found a new type of small, blue octopus deep under the ocean near the Galapagos Islands. They studied the octopus using special X-ray scans instead of cutting it open and named it Microeledone galapagensis.Key Facts
- The octopus was discovered about 1,800 meters (5,900 feet) deep near the Galapagos Islands.
- It is very small, about the size of a golf ball, and has a rare blue color on its back and deep purple underneath.
- The species belongs to the Megaleledonidae family, whose usual members are larger and live near Antarctica.
- The octopus has short arms with only one row of suckers, setting it apart from most octopuses.
- Scientists used CT scans to create a 3D model of the octopus without damaging the single specimen.
- The octopus uses its dark-colored webbing to hide prey that might shine and attract predators.
- Finding new octopus species in the deep ocean is not unusual because much of the ocean floor is unexplored.
- The discovery was first seen in 2015, and research was published in the journal Zootaxa.
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