Off the coast of Hawaii, a frightening and incredibly rare “Dumbo” octopus was captured on camera during a deep water excursion.
The eerie creature suddenly drifted past the camera of the Ocean Exploration Trust team’s vessel Exploration Vessell Nautilus as they were exploring the ocean floor at a depth of 5,518 feet in Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.
The Dumbo octopus was discovered by the remotely operated vehicle searching the ocean floor when the floating mollusk reflected light off the team’s tools, appearing ghostly white in the darkness of the water.
During a live webcast from the trip, curious researchers caught a glimpse of the unusual Dumbo octopus. The crew of the remote-controlled vehicle can be heard reacting in astonishment as the magnificent monster bobs into view in the video.
One researcher says, “Oh wow!” while another quips that the octopus had “flappy, flappy ears.”
The Dumbo octopus is seen in the video gliding over the dark ocean a few meters above the seafloor with the help of its eight webbed arms and ear-like fins.
Rare Octopus Given a Disney Character Name
Because of its resemblance to the title elephant in Disney’s 1941 film Dumbo, the big-eared octopus earned its name. Above their eyes, dumbo octopuses have two prominent fins that resemble enormous ears.
The specimen that was photographed was about two feet long, which is unusually enormous for a species that rarely grows longer than eight to twelve inches.
The deepest living octopuses known to man are called dumbo octopuses. The critters have a life expectancy of three to five years and can be found living at depths of up to 22,900 feet.
They are extremely uncommon and well suited to the harsh conditions of existence at the ocean’s bottom. They subsist by consuming worms and snails that are found on the ocean floor.
The Ocean Exploration Trust is a conservation organization that owns the research vessel Exploration Vessel Nautilus. It explores the seas and oceans while traveling and is currently in the North Pacific Ocean’s Papahnaumokukea Marine National Monument.