Scientists find new ghostlike octopus in Hawaii’s deep water
Oceans seem to be an entirely alien planet when it comes to deep sea creatures. A new discovery of a possibly new species of octopus has surprised marine biologists as the ghostlike invertebrate, unlike other octopuses, does not possess pigment cells that are typical of most cephalopods, including octopuses, squid and cuttlefish. This unusual feature has left the newly-found creature a pale blue color and made some people call it “Casper, the Friendly Ghost” of oceans, referring to a cartoon character by the same name.
Casper was discovered quite recently, when a remotely operated probe belonging to the American scientific agency of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s Okeanos Explorer was busy exploring and collecting geological samples at a depth of 4,290 meters (14074 feet) northeast of Necker Island in the Hawaiian Archipelago.
According to Michael Vecchione, a research zoologist at NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service, the “almost certainly” undescribed octopus does not have fins and all of its suckers are lined in one single row on each of its arms.
Octopods of the deep sea are categorized into two distinct groups: the finned ones, which have fins on the sides of their bodies and those without fins, which resemble those living in shallow waters. Casper belongs to the latter group, but the unusual thing is that until now, there have been no sign of a member of this group living more than 4,000 meters deep.
To be quite certain whether Casper is a previously-described species or a brand new one, scientists need at least one specimen, and preferably several of them, according to Vecchione.
“The deep sea is so poorly known that finding new or unexpected things happens fairly often. What is unusual is the opportunity to explore this deep,” he added.
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