Scientists have discovered a new species of octopus in a deep-sea nursery off the coast of Costa Rica.
Scientists at the Schmidt Ocean Institute say that the discovery of the new species of Muusoctopus- a genus of small to medium sized octopus without an ink sac- and the nursery are notable.
The newly identified nursery is only the third-known octopus brooding site in the world.
A team of 18 international scientists went onboard a Schmidt Ocean Institute submersible vessel in the Pacific Ocean for 19 days and used an underwater robot called 'SuBastian' to observe seamounts and baby octopuses.
“The discovery of a new active octopus nursery over 2,800 meters beneath the sea surface in Costa Rican waters proves there is still so much to learn about our ocean,” said Schmidt Ocean Institute executive director, Dr Jyotika Virmani in a press release.
“The deep-sea off Costa Rica rides the edge of human imagination, with spectacular footage collected by ROV SuBastian of tripod fish, octopus hatchlings, and coral gardens. We look forward to continuing to help the world witness and study the wonders of our incredible Ocean,” it added.