Photos: Deep-sea expedition discovers metropolis of octopuses

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By Kimberly Hickok
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A ghostly friend

Octopus plethora nautilus expedition

(Image credit: Ocean Exploration Trust/NOAA)

The Nautilus' ROV Hercules also captured video of this graceful dumbo octopus (Grimpoteuthis sp.). [Watch the video of the ghostly dumbo octopus. ]

Umbrella of tentacles

Octopus plethora nautilus expedition

(Image credit: Ocean Exploration Trust/NOAA)

The graceful dumbo octopus twirled and opened up its umbrella of tentacles, revealing eight rows of suckers.

Graceful glider

Octopus plethora nautilus expedition

(Image credit: Ocean Exploration Trust/NOAA)

The team used scaling lasers on the ROV to estimate that this particular deep-sea ghost was just under 2 feet (60 cm) long, which is a little larger than most dumbo octopuses.

Kimberly Hickok
Kimberly Hickok
Live Science Contributor

Kimberly has a bachelor's degree in marine biology from Texas A&M University, a master's degree in biology from Southeastern Louisiana University and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She is a former reference editor for Live Science and Space.com. Her work has appeared in Inside Science, News from Science, the San Jose Mercury and others. Her favorite stories include those about animals and obscurities. A Texas native, Kim now lives in a California redwood forest.