A team of scientists working off the coast of Costa Rica have identified four previously unknown deep-sea octopus species in the vicinity of hydrothermal springs on the ocean floor. They also discovered two octopus nurseries affiliated with the springs, both of which belong to the newly christened dorado octopus. The researchers determined that the dorado octopus is a member of the deep-sea genus Muusoctopus.
Three of the new species are still being described by the team; the only species imaged and named in a recent Schmidt Ocean Institute release is the dorado octopus. The animal’s undersea habitat was captured in photos and video by the ROV SuBastian. Click through to see some of the otherworldly scenes playing out at the bottom of the sea.
