Dumbo Octopus Wows Team With Tentacles

Spotted: a dumbo octopus (Grimpoteuthis genus)! Our Corps of Exploration came across this cephalopod while exploring the abyssal plain in the waters of the Cook Islands, over 5,000 meters (16,400 feet) deep. Watch until the end and you’ll be treated to a gorgeous look at the underside of this octopus, including the rows of suckers on its eight tentacles. Each tentacle is connected by a web of skin, allowing for the graceful pulsing umbrella movement we were lucky enough to catch on camera of ROV Little Hercules. While dumbo octopus’ tentacles lack spines like those of some other octopus species, they do have cirri —strand-like structures on each tentacle that help them locate food and sense their environment.

The NA176 Deep Sea Habitats of the Cook Islands expedition is using the ROV, mapping, and telepresence systems of E/V Nautilus to explore deep-sea areas prioritized by the Cook Islands government and local stakeholders. All collected data will be made publicly available to stimulate further exploration and research, and to support ongoing local management and future decision-making for the Cook Islands by Cook Islanders.