'Dumbo' Underwater: Meet the Indian Ocean's Deepest Octopus

A recent sighting of the 'Dumbo' octopus was captured by cameras in the Indian Ocean. Scientists who recorded the phenomenon said that it had been the deepest sighting of the cephalopod.

Named after Disney's Dumbo for its big, lateral ear-like fins, the Grimpoteuthis, is not typically found beyond hadal depths, noted in the study, which are depths exceeding 19,700ft. The octopus was found swimming in the Java Trench at around 23,000 ft, almost 6,500 ft deeper than the last recorded dumbo cephalopod.

Because the species is so rare, little is known about the dumbo octopus. They have specialized behavior allowing them to successfully reproduce anytime upon mating and the ability to live in very cold temperatures due to the absence of sunlight.

The average size of dumbos is 8in to 12in long, while the largest known dumbo octopus grew to 5'10, weighing at 13lb. As large foraging predators, their diet consists of fish and water mammals including sharks, dolphins, and tuna. Dumbos are rarely entangled in fishnets nor disturbed by human activities since they live in the benthic zone, or the lowest level of oceans.

Excited Exploration Crew

In 2018, a crew of scientists shared an exciting encounter with the 'ghostly white cephalopod' found during an exploration aboard the Exploration Vessel Nautilus. The group of scientists had been exploring an inactive volcano in the Pacific Ocean, Davidson Seamount when the octopus was captured on video, quickly taking laser measurements while the creature was still within their range.

In awe, the team expressed their joy saying 'wow' and 'woah' repeatedly while one even commented "I love me a good cephalopod.' After two minutes of admiration before moving on with their exploration, one member even joked 'hope you find your dad,' making a Disney reference.

Deep-sea exploration had been challenging for researchers, and more data on other planets have been collected compared to the unknown ocean waters. Dr. Alan Jamieson, the scientist who identified the octopus, said that the significance of this recent observation points to more knowledge of the species' cellular structure.

'They'd have to do something clever inside their cells. If you imagine a cell is like a balloon - it's going to want to collapse under pressure,' Jamieson explained, meaning that it needs 'smart biochemistry to make sure it retains that sphere.' It is at a cellular level that requires adaptations to be able to live at deepwater pressure levels.

Demystifying the Ocean

Victor Vescovo, an undersea explorer, partnered with Dr. Jamieson by financing a project called Five Deeps Expedition. It was during these tandem science investigations that cameras captured the rare dumbo octopus.

As they explore the deepest sector of the Earth's five major oceans, they hope that 'findings can help dispel some of the misunderstandings' about these dark waters and demystify marine life. Dr. Jamieson shares, 'The laws of marine ecology and marine biology are actually much the same. And we need the Dumbo octopus out there to blur that line between the depths we think we care about and the depths we don't. This idea that only animals in a kind Victorian freak show live at depth isn't right.'