During a 10 day expedition to the Davidson Seamount aboard the E/V Nautilus, MBNMS Scientists using a remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) owned by Ocean Exploration Trust, stumbled upon an unprecedented population of over 1,000 brooding female octopuses from the genus Muusoctopus at a depth of 3,240 meters, which is over two miles deep. This particular genus has a distinct brooding position, being essentially upside-down, exposing its arms and mouth. Previously, a much smaller population had been documented near Costa Rica in 2014. These octopuses were aligned within pools and fissures in the seafloor where water was diffusing out, which was shimmering, indicating the likelihood that this water is warmer than the surrounding seawater.
There were also many other species associated with these diffuse seeps, including anemones, shrimp, whelks, tubeworms and more. It is not known if some of these species are endemic to these seeps or if the octopuses benefit in any way because of the warm water. Many news outlets interviewed Chief Scientist, Chad King, and the story was picked up and redistributed through hundreds of outlets.
Read more about the expedition here, and view Ocean Exploration Trust’s video below.
A dumbo octopus was also filmed during the ROV dive (below).