Explore the wonders of the ocean in a gif-ferent way, as we tumble through the beauty and science of the sea. Our mission is to inspire conservation of the ocean.
You probably don’t look this adorable when you swim… The deep-sea flapjack octopus, Opisthoteuthis “adorabilis,” is a cirrate octopus—meaning that a pair of hairlike filaments surround each sucker on its eight webbed arms. Incirrate octopuses—like the giant Pacific octopus—do not have these cirri, and are more commonly found in shallower waters.
Last week, deep-sea researchers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) and our cephalopod aquarists found several flapjack octopus (Opisthoteuthis sp.) in the deep waters of the Monterey submarine canyon during a research cruise.
“Who ordered the short-stack?” Aquarist Ellen Umeda meets a flapjack octopus 1,300 feet (400 m) deep thanks to MBARI’s remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Ventana.
MBARI researchers suspect that our local flapjack octopus might be a new species. These individuals were collected as a part of ongoing research into their taxonomy and mysterious deep-ocean biology. They’re currently on display in our Tentacles special exhibition, in a custom exhibit that boasts chilly water, lowered oxygen levels and red-lit darkness designed to keep deep-sea cephalopods comfortable.
We don’t know how long they’ll be visible to the public before returning behind the scenes—in some cases, deep-sea cephalopods only remain on exhibit for a few days at a time, before returning to a dark, quiet area where aquarists can closely study them. Thanks to the unique partnership between MBARI and the Aquarium, thousands of people have had the chance to meet these deep-sea denizens, members of a community of animals living in the planet’s largest—and least explored—habitat.
To find out more about the research being done by the Aquarium and MBARI on deep-sea cephalopods and the flapjack octopus, check out the following resources!
We just added two striking deep-sea animals to our Tentacles special exhibition: the vampire squid and the Japetella octopus. The vampire squid has never been exhibited at any public aquarium before. Both were collected with the help of our sister organization, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI).
The vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis) is an ancient animal that lives in deep tropical and temperate waters—like the Monterey submarine canyon. Despite its sinister appearance—and its name, which means “vampire squid from hell”—this animal is a scavenger. It lives on “marine snow” that rains down from above: a mixture of poop, dead animal parts and mucus.
The Japetella octopus (Japetella sp.) is a beautiful animal that lives in the midwater realm, hundreds of feet below the surface but well above the sea floor. It has chromatophores that enable it to go from see-through with spots to almost a solid orange color. MBARI’s remotely operated vehicles have observed them on video both in Monterey Bay and—even more often—on expeditions to the Gulf of California.
Like many cephalopods, these animals can be fragile and short-lived, so we encourage you to visit soon and check them out!
They’re in the exhibit where we recently housed two flapjack octopus, which we’ve now moved behind the scenes.
Recently they spotted one carrying an egg-yolk jelly and made a discovery about this elusive species: It looked as though Haliphron had not only made a meal of the jelly, but was hanging onto it, perhaps for defense or for help in catching prey!
As we sea-lebrate World Oceans Day, let’s remember that over 90 percent of the ocean’s real estate is found in the darkness of the deep sea. This Graneledone octopus photographed by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) is just one of countless organisms that live in the Earth’s largest—and least explored—habitat.
Why would a deep-sea squid like this Galiteuthis sp. have light-producing organs around its eyes? Scientists like our colleagues at Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) believe that producing light helps this deep-sea critter camouflage. By matching the light from above, it hides itself from predators looking up from below!
Does this octopus look familiar? The “flapjack octopus” is a rarely observed, deep-sea species, but you may know it better as the inspiration for the animated character Pearl in Finding Nemo. It was collected by our sister organization, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, and it’s on exhibit now in our Tentacles special exhibition, which opened this morning for members, and tomorrow (April 12) for the general public!
These images show the flapjack octopus (Opisthoteuthis sp.) in the wild, and on exhibit. We use a red light to display this species. Since the octopus can’t see red light, it thinks it’s in the darkness of the deep sea, its natural environment.
Very little is known about the life history of these animals. They’re one of the cirrate octopuses – a tiny group within the overall family. We may yet discover more species in this group—with the help of MBARI. They’re helping us learn about many deep-sea species, through video observation and occasionally collecting individuals. One of the flapjack octopuses even laid eggs in our behind-the-scenes holding area. That first batch didn’t mature, but we’ll try again if any other individuals reproduce.
🌊 Our fin-tastic volunteers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium have been making waves since before our doors even opened in 1984, cumulatively giving over 4.5 million hours of their time! From sea otter rescues to keeping our exhibits sparkling— underwater, no less—they’ve truly buoyed our spirits and kept us afloat for 40 years. Thank you, volunteers, for your tireless dedication to inspiring conservation of the ocean! 🐠💙🦦🫂
