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September 4, 2020: Dumbo Octopus

This dumbo octopus was identified as the biology highlight of the Gulf of Mexico 2014 expedition by many participating scientists and viewers alike. In this image, it has coiled its arms into tight spirals. Although cirrate octopods have been observed doing a variety of postures with their arms, one had never been seen spiraling its arms like this. This is a good example of the fact that every time we get a chance to explore the deep sea, we find something new and unexpected.

Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Gulf of Mexico 2014. Download larger version (jpg, 998 KB).

This dumbo octopus was identified as a biology highlight of the Gulf of Mexico 2014 expedition by many participating scientists and viewers alike. In this image, it has coiled its arms into tight spirals. Although cirrate octopods have been observed doing a variety of postures with their arms, one had never been seen spiraling its arms like this. This is a good example of the fact that every time we get a chance to explore the deep sea, we find something new and unexpected.

This image won the Explorer’s Choice Photo Contest for the ‘Unexpected Finds and Changing Perspectives’ category as part of our Celebrating Our Ocean Planet campaign.

From: Explorer’s Choice Photo Contest Archive.