Young Red Cirrata Octopus Orbits Around a Lunar-Like Wall In the Pacific Deep Sea Terrain of Jarvis Island
While out on the west side of Jarvis Island in the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, the ROV Hercules caught sight of a mysterious red jelly gracefully orbiting a lunar-like wall. It was only when the creature narrowly missed sharp protruding spines, that the crew realized the creature was an octopus, specifically a Cirrothauma magna.
Related Laughing Squid PostsROV Hercules Captures First Live Sighting of an Asperoteuthis Mangoldae Squid in the Remote PacificA 'Big Eared' Deep Sea Octopus Inflates Its Body Like a Circus Tent to Warn the ROV Hercules to Back OffBeautiful Footage of an Iridescent Jellyfish-Like Deep Sea Creature Nicknamed the 'Psychedelic MedusaLike something straight out of a sci-fi flick, the reddish hues of this "blob" starkly stand out against the deep blue-water backdrop, making it look like something from out of this world - not the depths of it.Described as a "bell pepper" with a "clown nose," the creature likely belongs to a family of cirrate octopuses known as Cirroteuthidae" These cephalopods were first described in the 19th-century but to this day remain poorly understood given their deep-water habitat.
Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.
The post Young Red Cirrata Octopus Orbits Around a Lunar-Like Wall In the Pacific Deep Sea Terrain of Jarvis Island first appeared on Laughing Squid.