A Tiny Blue Deep-Sea Octopus Near the Galápagos Could Be a New Species

Five thousand eight hundred feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean, a tiny blue octopus suddenly drifted in front of a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) camera near an underwater mountain in the Galapagos. For a moment, the scientists watching the live feed looked less like researchers and more like people spotting something impossible.

“He’s small!” » “It’s blue!”

The size of a golf ball, the little octopus stood out against the dark background of the sea that surrounded it. The crew then used the ROV to recover the animal and bring it to the surface. Back on earth, the researchers would realize that they had just encountered a new species.

The newly discovered octopus, Microeledone galapagensisis now described in Zootaxa. But confirming that it was a new species became complicated because the researchers only had one specimen to study.

After the expedition, the animal was brought to the Charles Darwin Research Station alongside dozens of other deep-sea specimens collected during the mission. As researchers looked through the collection, the blue octopus caught attention and photographs of it were sent to octopus expert Janet Voight.

“I knew right away that this was something truly special,” Voight said in a press release. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Learn more: Octopuses don’t need eyes to mate: their arms do the work

Identifying a new species of deep-sea octopus near the Galapagos

For octopus researchers, identifying a new species usually means dissecting the animal and examining tiny anatomical details hidden inside the body, including the beak, suckers, mouthparts and internal organs.

But the team was hesitant to cut up the Galapagos octopus because it was the only specimen they had.

Instead of dissecting the octopus, the team created CT scans that helped them virtually examine the animal’s interior. By combining thousands of X-ray slices, the researchers built a 3D model showing the structures beneath the octopus’ soft body.

“Because CT imaging is non-destructive, it is especially important for type specimens like this. And that’s great for me because people often bring me these incredibly rare and stunningly beautiful specimens that I have the privilege of virtually opening,” Stephanie Smith, co-author of the paper, said in the press release. “There’s nothing like spending the day looking at something no other human has ever seen.”

A small deep-sea octopus became a first career

The discovery also marked a milestone in Voight’s career. Although she had spent four decades studying the evolution of octopuses, this was the first new species of octopus that she formally led a team to describe.

“They’re little octopuses that live in the deep sea, and almost no one on Earth has ever had the opportunity to see them. I just feel lucky to have been able to work with them,” Voight said in the press release.

The researchers also recorded video footage of two additional octopuses that appeared to be the same species, meaning the species could still live in the waters surrounding the islands.

Much of the deep ocean around the Galapagos remains unexplored

Like many discoveries made in the deep sea, the little octopus has become a reminder of how little of the ocean humans have actually explored, even around one of the world’s most famous ecosystems.

“When we were sorting through dozens of specimens collected during the expedition, this little blue octopus fascinated us,” said Salome Buglass, co-author of the paper. “There was something unusual about it.”

Voight noted that even if all of Earth’s land was replenished, it would still not cover the Pacific Ocean. Somewhere beneath this immense expanse of water, small blue octopuses may still be drifting in the darkness.

Learn more: Octopuses detect invisible microbial signals to avoid rotten food

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