A curiously cute new octopus was recently discovered whtn NOAA’s exploration ship Okeanos Explorer took a dive off the Hawaiian Archipelago. This charming and ethereal cephalopod was captured on video during first dive of the season.
The internet is enthralled with this lil critter with many calling for it to be named Casper after the cute and friendly cartoon ghost. The team encountered the octopus over over 4,000 meters down (13,120 feet) and was northeast of Necker Island.
Unlike most cephalopods that use color-changing chromatophores to disguise itself and elude prey, this new creature appears to lack those pigment cells and is not as muscular as its shallow-water relatives. Although the final verdict is not in, it appears the octopus is most likely undescribed and might even be a new genus.
[via Scientific American]
