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Ghostly Grimpoteuthis Octopus Glides By ROV Hercules

At first this ghostly octopus drifted past the camera on ROV Hercules flapping wing-like fins, then inverted its webbed arms, ballooning out to reveal eight rows of suckers. This rarely-seen Grimpoteuthis sp., commonly known as an umbrella octopus, was approximately 60cm (almost two feet) long!

The octopus was spotted during the first dive of the expedition aboard E/V Nautilus exploring Davidson Seamount, in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. This first dive explored a completely unexplored rocky outcropping to the southeast of the seamount, a region known as an oasis in the deep with vast coral and sponge fields.

Learn more about this expedition.