The creature’s lack of pigment cells give it a translucent glow.
Oceanographers may have discovered a new species of deep-water dwelling octopus on the ocean floor near Hawaii.
Image courtesy of NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Hohonu Moana 2016. / Via oceanexplorer.noaa.gov
Michael Vecchione, with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said scientists first discovered the octopus on Feb. 27 on the Pacific Ocean floor in the Hawaiian Archipelago, according to a statement posted to its website.
Researchers initially sent a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to the area to collect geological samples for an unrelated study, Vecchione said, when "it came across a remarkable little octopod sitting on a flat rock dusted with a light coat of sediment."
He described the creature — which is technically an octopod (the term octopus refers to those that live in more shallow water) — as especially unique because it lacked pigment cells, giving it a translucent, ghostlike appearance. It also did not seem very muscular, he said.
Video courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2016 Hohonu Moana
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