National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists have discovered a possible new species of octopus near the Hawaiian Archipelago:
In the ocean near Hawaii, more than 2 1/2 miles underwater, scientists have discovered a small small, delicate-looking and ghostlike little octopod — possibly a new species. The animal was discovered by Deep Discoverer, a remotely operated vehicle, or ROV — picture a small, unmanned submarine equipped with cameras and a robotic arm — that was working to collect geological samples
Michael Vecchione, of the National Marine Fisheries Service, described the Feb. 27 discovery on the NOAA website:
"As the ROV was traversing a flat area of rock interspersed with sediment at 4,290 meters, it came across a remarkable little octopod sitting on a flat rock dusted with a light coat of sediment. The appearance of this animal was unlike any published records and was the deepest observation ever for this type of cephalopod."
Vecchione explained that cirrate octopods — which have fins between their arms and little finger-like strands near their suckers — have been reported at depths up to 5,000 meters. But the octopod encountered by Deep Discoverer was incirrate, like the familiar octopus — and incirrate octopods have never before been detected at depths below 4,000 meters.
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Bizarre Squid Seen Alive for First Time
In the Gulf of Mexico, a strange creature lurks in the deep: a blood-red squid with stubby arms, missing tentacles, and a knack for swimming like a nautilus.
The unusual squid, which might or might not be a new species, was filmed on April 17 by the crew of the Okeanos Explorer, a research vessel run by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Charged with exploring Earth's largely unknown deep waters, the Okeanos Explorer has captured extraordinary footage over the years. Previous expeditions have filmed strange glowing jellyfish, a ghostly octopus nicknamed "Casper," and deep-sea "krakens" fighting inside of a shipwreck. From now until May 3, 2018, the ship will be broadcasting its undersea adventures live on YouTube.
But on April 17, researchers got a surprise: Thousands of feet beneath the surface in the western Gulf of Mexico, the Okeanos Explorer's remote-controlled submarine spotted a creature that, at first, didn't resemble a squid at all.
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 06 2016, @05:33AM
The new octupus was sushi
(Score: 2) by Bogsnoticus on Sunday March 06 2016, @07:45AM
Thats 2 hours after it was already "featured" in a cartoon involving japanese schoolgirls.
Genius by birth. Evil by choice.
(Score: 4, Informative) by hemocyanin on Sunday March 06 2016, @05:38AM
I noticed this article this morning and this little guy is really cute.
One thing that bothered me though, was that the headline trumpeted discovery of a "new" species, which isn't actually true. The NOAA caption on the pictures calls it an "undescribed" species, which is much more accurate.
http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex1603/logs/mar2/mar2.html [noaa.gov]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 06 2016, @07:40PM
already on the verge of extinction right?
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Sunday March 06 2016, @09:41PM
Thanks stupid article, you've just made me waste hours reading about cirrate octopods, also incirrina.
Very interesting, but I don't have time for this.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 08 2016, @05:49PM
And yet, you still took the time to both read it and post about it... me thinks he doth protest too much.