Marine scientists have discovered a new octopus nursery off the coast of Costa Rica, according to the Schmidt Ocean Institute. The newly found nursery is nearly two miles below the surface of the Pacific Ocean. The site was found during a 19-day expedition by a team of 20 scientists led by Dr. Beth Orcutt of the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences and Dr. by Jorge Cortes of the University of Costa Rica.
A statement published on the website of the Schmidt Ocean Institute quotes its executive director, Dr. Jyotiku Virmani: “The discovery of a new active octopus more than 2,800 meters below sea level in Costa Rican waters proves that there is still much to learn about our ocean. .”
“The scenes documented on video during the #OctoOdyssey expedition are stunning and informative: octopus nurseries, unexplored seamounts, unexpected geological features and a great diversity of creatures!” the institute wrote that it posted a video of the expedition on Twitter.
The octopuses in the newly found nursery belong to the genus Muusoctopus and lack ink sacs, an organ found in most cephalopods.
During the expedition, the researchers also saw another active nursery. When it was first discovered in 2013, no developing embryos were detected. However, the researchers confirmed that the ‘Dorado Outcrop’, previously identified as a gathering place for deep sea squid, is indeed an active nursery.
Dr. Rachel Lauer, a professor of geosciences at the University of Calgary in Canada, described her reaction to the discoveries made during the expedition. “I was bouncing off the walls,” she said.
Two nurseries plus another off the coast of Monterey, California bring the total number of known octopus nurseries to three.
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