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World's deepest octopus captured on camera
May 28, 2020
The deepest ever sighting of an octopus has been made by cameras on the Indian Ocean floor.
The animal was spotted 7,000m down in the Java Trench - almost 2km deeper than the previous reliable recording.
Researchers, who report the discovery in the journal Marine Biology , say it's a species of "Dumbo" octopus.
The name is a nod to the prominent ear-like fins just above these animals' eyes that make them look like the 1940s Disney cartoon character.
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The scientist behind the identification is Dr Alan Jamieson.
He's pioneered the exploration of the deep using what are called "landers".
These are instrumented frames dropped overboard from research ships.
They settle on the seabed and record what passes by.
Image copyright FIVEDEEPS.COM Image caption Dr Jamieson has discovered a host of deep-sea organisms using lander technology
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Dr Jamieson's equipment filmed two octopuses - one on a drop to 5,760m and a second to 6,957m. The individual animals were 43cm and 35cm in length.
They've been placed in the Grimpoteuthis family - the group commonly known as Dumbo.
Octopus fragments and eggs have been found at very great depths, but until this discovery, the previous deepest reliable sighting was at 5,145m down.
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