Scientists Capture Rare Footage of Deep-Sea Creature

Marine biologists were excited to capture footage of a unique octopus, strikingly similar to Disney's Dumbo, two miles beneath the ocean's surface. The elusive creature was filmed nearly 2.4 miles down using a remotely operated submersible. The pink sea creature began flapping its ear-shaped fins while scientists were exploring a canyon. The remarkable footage, which shows the creature's resemblance to the beloved 1941 Disney character Dumbo, was obtained during an expedition to study the Mar del Plata submarine canyon. This vast canyon is located in the South Atlantic Ocean, approximately 193 miles east of the Argentine city of the same name.

Marine biologists believe this is the first recorded sighting of a Dumbo octopus in Argentine waters. The expedition is led by the US-based Schmidt Ocean Institute, in collaboration with Argentina's National Scientific and Technical Research Council and National Institute for Fisheries Research and Development. The pink creature, spotted last Tuesday, belongs to the genus aptly named the Dumbo octopus (Grimpoteuthis). This genus includes seventeen recognized species, each with distinctive fins protruding from the mantle above their eyes. They are the deepest-dwelling octopuses on record, thriving in an extreme environment of immense pressure and frigid temperatures. Unlike most octopuses, which use jet propulsion, the Dumbo octopus has a gelatinous body and moves by flapping its fins.

Just days earlier, the same expedition captured a starfish displaying a groove resembling a bottom between its arms. Social media users quickly noted its similarity to Patrick Star from the cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants. Kristen Kusek of the Schmidt Ocean Institute explained that the "bum" is a normal feature related to seawater circulation. Dumbo octopuses have a row of approximately 65 to 68 suckers on each arm, along with projections called cirri, which resemble hair. This classifies them within the cirrate octopus category. They typically reach about 20 to 30 centimeters, but the largest specimen of this cephalopod measured a staggering 1.8 meters long and weighed 5.9 kg.

They are known to inhabit the deep oceans at depths of 1,000 to 7,000 meters, including the bathyal and abyssal zones, where sunlight cannot penetrate and the water is freezing cold. In 2020, a Dumbo octopus was recorded at a depth of nearly 7,000 meters in the Java Trench in the Indian Ocean. This suggests that these creatures may also inhabit the deepest reaches of the ocean, known as the hadal zone. Jon Ablett, the senior curator in charge of Mollusca at the Natural History Museum in London, has described Dumbo octopuses as "very different" from other species. He characterized them as "very blobby and gelatinous," giving them an "otherworldly, alien-like look," especially when brought to the ocean’s surface.