the discovery of a new species of octopus while surveying the depths of the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii. The octopus, which was located at a depth of around 2.5 miles, owes its ghost-like appearance to a lack of pigment cells.
This Adorable, 'Ghostlike' Octopus May Be A New Species
By
Editorial Staff in
Nature
On 11th March 2016
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#1
The milky white creature, nicknamed "Casper the Friendly Ghost" was caught on cameras mounted on the craft at a depth of 4,290 meters. Describing the animal as an incirrate octopod, one of two main groupings of octopods, NOAA said it was the first time an incirrate was spotted so deep in the ocean.
#2
The octopod "almost certainly" was one of a species never previously described by scientists, and it may well belong to a genus that has yet to be identified
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#3
"This animal was particularly unusual because it lacked the pigment cells, called chromatophores, typical of most cephalopods, and it did not seem very muscular.
#4
These types of deep-sea octopuses are broken up into two different groups: cirrate (or Dumbo octopuses) and incirrate octopuses. Cirrate octopuses are known for their finned sides and cirri-covered arms while incirrate octopods have neither.
