Well folks, we've got another deep-sea cephalopod to add to the list of otherworldly ocean creatures: the cirrate octopus, Cirrothauma murrayi. Sometimes called the "blind octopus" because its eyes lack lenses, the animal was spotted by NOAA's Okeanos Explorer off the coast of Puerto Rico.
Because blind octopuses are such deep divers (they've been seen as low as 4,800 metres below the surface), little is known about their habitat, diet or lifestyle. "They have reduced retinas," explains NOAA. "[Their] eyes can really only detect light and cannot form images." Those bristly bits you can see in the video are actually soft, gelatinous stalks, each tipped with a tiny sucker!
Despite being very able swimmers, the animals often resort to using their enormous arms and web as parachutes. This jelly-style hovering can help with conserving energy – crucial when you live in such an extreme environment!
They might look like bottle brushes, but if we know one thing about squishy invertebrates, it's that they're not very fond of touching them:
Top header image: NOAA Ocean Explorer/used with permission
Deep Ocean
WTF!?
Deep Ocean
