Exploring the deep ocean comes with the chance to encounter all kinds of weird and wonderful species. You could come face to face (ish) with a faceless cusk eel , Chewbacca corals , dancing sea pigs – or if you’re lucky, an otherworldly-looking octopus, as scientists exploring the abyssal plains of the South Pacific recently discovered. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.

The team, part of the Ocean Exploration Trust, was on board the E/V Nautilus and roughly 160 kilometers (100 miles) from Aituaki Island, part of the Cook Islands, when they spotted the octopus at a depth of around 5,000 meters (16,400 feet).

“It felt wild to see this cephalopod! I was awed by the way that it seemingly put on an otherworldly show

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