When you purchase through links on our site , we may earn an affiliate delegacy . Here ’s how it works .
A diver in Washington has capture stunning photos of a massive , alien - seem octopus in shallow water along the res publica ’s coastline . The rarely seen cephalopod , which pass most of its life in the deep ocean , had injuries that indicate it may have been lately attacked by a cookiecutter shark .
submerged photographerEric Askilsrud , who is based in Washington , snap the pictures on Sept. 8 while diving event at Tongue Point in the Salish Sea , near the Canadian border . Askilsrud encountered the octopus in 10 - substructure - thick ( 3 beat ) water supply while research a kelp canopy . The unusual - looking cephalopod mollusk was around 3 feet ( 0.9 m ) long .
The seven-arm octopus (Haliphron atlanticus) was spotted in shallow water off Tongue Point in Washington state on Sept. 8.
" It was floating motionless with its tentacles down , " Askilsrud say Live Science . At first , Askilsrud think it was a kelp tangle , but he presently realized he was look at a " very bizarre - look " octopus .
Askrilsrud had no estimation what species the octopus belonged to , so he direct his photos toGregory Jensen , a marine biologist at the University of Washington , who identified the fauna as a seven - weapon octopus ( Haliphron atlanticus ) .
Related:10 bizarre deep - ocean creatures that lap ashore in 2022
Seven-arm octopuses actually have eight arms like every other octopus.
Seven - arm octopuses , also known as blob octopuses or septopuses , are one of the largest devilfish coinage on the planet — capable of reaching a maximum length of around 11 feet ( 3.4 1000 ) . Despite the name , these octopus do really have eight arms . But the males are get laid to veil their hectocotylus — a specialized limb used to fertilize bollock — in a sac beneath their right eye , which is how the name in the beginning come about .
Severn - arm octopus usually live in deep weewee far from shore , according to theMonterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute(MBARI ) . As a final result , most of what we know about the specie come in from remotely operated vehicle ( ROV ) footage , or when specimen wash ashore , like onefound in Puget Sound , Washington in 2020 .
refer : How do octopuses change vividness ?
The octopus had small circular injuries, which could have been caused by a cookiecutter shark (Isistius brasiliensis).
In 2017 , an ROV operated by MBARIfilmed a seven - arm octopus feeding on an egg - yolk jellyfish(Phacellophora camtschatica ) , suggest that the metal money primarily fertilize on slow - moving man-of-war , rather than hunting Pisces or crustacean .
— Octopuses ' rewire ' their brains to adapt to different sea temperatures
— Watch an octopus waking up from what scientists opine could have been a nightmare
— Blue - resound octopus , one of the most toxic animals on Earth , bites cleaning woman multiple times
It is indecipherable which marauder may point seven - sleeve devilfish . But unusual orotund sign on the recently photographed individual may have been inflicted by a cookiecutter shark ( Isistius brasiliensis ) , a little shark that is known tobite spookily orbitual clump of flesh from a stove of different maritime brute .
Another seven - arm devilfish was also recently seen in the shallow of the Salish Sea . On Sept. 17 , Cam Polglasefilmed an individualat Ogden Point near Victoria in British Columbia — just 23 miles ( 37 kilometers ) from Tongue Point . It is presently unclear if this is just a coincidence , or if there is something causing these octopuses to head into shallower H2O .
