In the depths of the ocean, you may encounter a frightening surprise, or you may learn Xi joy shared by researchers from the Notting Ocean Exploration Foundation who witnessed a sea mantis comb puffin swimming in front of their remotely operated vehicle.
In the waters around the Papahanau Mokuak Marine National Monument (PMNM) in the northern Pacific Ocean, expeditions spotted this sassy cephalopod swimming around their ROV small sea type cris at depths of up to 2,665 meters (8,743 feet).
At 24 seconds into the video, the team's collective "Wow!" sound can be heard as the octopus swings back and forth in front of the camera. Named after Disney's Dumbo Big Ears, you can jump to 1.20 to see the octopus in full view and watch its distinctive ear-like fins swim, or move to 3.35 to see it against a black background. Their tentacles are connected by a membrane that looks like small ocean umbrellas in the water.
The team is collecting data on the area to better understand species distribution patterns as well as seamount geology. According to the Notting Ocean Exploration website, PMNM is the largest marine protected area in the United States. The site also has large unexplored areas where it is possible to spot historic ship shipwrecks that can be explored in detail.
Earlier this year, scientists were confused by the octagonal shapes observed at the bottom of the sea, only to discover later that the feeding Xi habits of the comb puffins were creating the mysterious shapes of these octagons. While this ghostly octopus was found at depths of 2.5 kilometres (1.5 mi) when it was discovered in 2020, these mysterious members of the genus Grimpoteuthis have been found reaching depths of up to 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) at their deepest depths.
No matter what they're doing or how deep they're swimming, there's always something to be happy with in these sea creatures.