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 Scientists Capture Extremely Rare Footage Of Glass Octopus In Remote Pacific Ocean

Scientists Capture Extremely Rare Footage Of Glass Octopus In Remote Pacific Ocean

It was seen in the Pacific Ocean

Amelia Ward

Amelia Ward

Scientists have filmed extremely rare footage of an almost transparent deep sea creature. Watch below:


On a 34-day expedition, marine bioligists found the animal in a remote corner of the Pacific Ocean.

The glass octopus is almost completely see through, and not only did the researchers see it, they managed to film it.

Before now, footage of the glass octopus has been limited, meaning scientists could only learn about the animal by studying specimens found in the guts of predators.

Falkor, a Schmidt Ocean Institute research vessel, took the scientists to the Phoenix Islands Archipelago, where they were doing a high-resolution map of the sea floor.

Expedition Chief Scientist Dr. Randi Rotjan, of Boston University, said: "It has been very inspiring to help document the biodiversity of unexplored seamounts on the high seas and in U.S. waters.

"We're at the beginning of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, so now is the time to think about conservation broadly across all oceanscapes, and the maps, footage, and data we have collected will hopefully help to inform policy and management in decision making around new high seas protected areas."

Twitter/@SchmidtOcean

Wendy Schmidt, co-founder of Schmidt Ocean Institute said: "The Ocean holds wonders and promises we haven't even imagined, much less discovered.

"Expeditions like these teach us why we need to increase our efforts to restore and better understand marine ecosystems everywhere-because the great chain of life that begins in the ocean is critical for human health and wellbeing."

The glass octopus is almost completely see through, except for its eye balls, optic nerve and digestive tract.

While down there, researchers also saw a whale shark - an ancient deep-water species that dates back millions of years and whose name comes from its length of more than 40 feet.

Twitter/@SchmidtOcean

The press release continues: "During the expedition, scientists also noted unique marine behaviors, including crab stealing fish from one another.

"The science team completed the first comprehensive survey of coral and sponge predation in the world, to investigate how corals respond to grazing scars and wounding.

"The team conducted a series of novel experiments onboard the ship to determine how corals and sponge immune systems react to over 15 different microbial stimuli.

"Through this work, the team generated the largest deep-water microbial culture collection from the Central Pacific ocean."

Dr. Tim Shank, biologist at the Woods HoIe Oceanographic Institution said: "The coverage of this expedition was remarkable-we found changes in species across depth and geography around the Pacific equator and in the suite of organisms living on corals.

"Looking into these deep-sea communities has altered the way we think about how organisms live and interact on seamounts and how they maintain diversity of life in the deep ocean."

Featured Image Credit: Twitter/@SchmidtOcean

Topics: Science, Animals