The abysmal depths of the ocean just became more mysterious when scientists discovered a possible new octopus species off the Hawaiian coast.
Described as "ghostly", this octopus was observed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's remotely operated vehicle known as the Okeonos Explorer, as biologists captured this milky white, cephalopod swimming slowly some 2.6 miles below the ocean floor.
Accoding to NOAA zoologist, Michael Vecchione who is also from the Smithsonian Institution, the team was pretty excited when they saw the video from the Explorer's live feed, which can also be viewed online. He describes the cephalopod as not looking like anything else documented in any scientific journal.
The team of researchers suggests that this could be a newfound species however, they also claim that this is the deepest dwelling octopod without fins that has ever been discovered. Most deep dwelling octopods possess fins including the "dumbo" octopod.
Even if the team only captured a short video, this interesting creature revealed some unique adaptations for surviving below the ocean. Researchers say that this octopus only has some very few developed muscles, which can be described as gelatinous, which is probably due to the fact that there is only little food to be scavenged in the deep sea, which can take a lot of energy to build a strong muscular system.
This ghostly octopus also possesses a tenuous appearance, looking extremely pale, due to the lack of pigment cells or chromatophores that of course, do not provide any use in the darkest ocean depths. However, Vecchione says that the octopus' tiniest set of eyes probably serves a function.
He adds that when the submarine went in for a closer look, the octopus began to climb away, which probably suggests that it is probably reacting to the lights of the sub or vibrations travelling across the water.The team believes that its beady eyes can detect bioluminscent animals, which thrive in the ocean deep.
Researchers says that this new discovery of the ghostly octopod reveals how we do not know much about deep sea creatures and since there are amazing opportunities to explore, there are always unexpected animals to be found.