A tiny blue octopus first spotted off the Galapagos Islands in 2015 has been confirmed as a new species, according to a study published in the journal Zootaxa.
The octopus, named Microeledone galapagensis, was discovered during a deep-sea expedition aboard the research vessel EV Nautilus. A remotely operated robot captured footage of the palm-sized creature about 5,800 feet below the surface near Darwin Island.
Researchers collected several specimens, but the blue octopus, roughly the size of a golf ball, stood out. It was preserved and sent to the Chicago Field Museum for analysis.
“Right away, I knew it was something really special. I’d never seen anything like it,” said Janet Voight, an author of the study. To avoid damaging the single specimen, scientists used CT scans to examine its internal organs, including the mouth and beak, confirming it as a new species.
“These are little octopuses that live in the deep sea and hardly anybody on Earth has ever gotten to see them,” Voight added. The discovery highlights how much of the ocean around the Galapagos remains unexplored.
