Octopus Nursery Discovered 2 Miles Below Surface Might Also be Home of Potential New Species -- Costa [View all]

Octopus Nursery Discovered 2 Miles Below Surface Might Also be Home of Potential New Species — Costa Rica

By Rich Co Jun 30, 2023 07:51 PM EDT



Octopus Nursery Discovered 2 Miles Below Surface Might Also be Home of Potential New Species — Costa Rica
(Photo : Paul Asman and Jill Lenoble / Wikimedia Commons)

Off the coast of Costa Rica, researchers found an octopus nursery 2 miles below the surface. Additionally, they discovered a prospective new species in the area. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.


Researchers discovered an octopus nursery 2 miles beneath the surface off the coast of Costa Rica. They also found what might be a new species in the area. It might be the third known instance of a location where a large number of the animals congregate to lay their eggs.

Active Octopus Nursery
On a three-week excursion this month, researchers on board the Falkor research vessel of the Schmidt Ocean Institute spotted hundreds of octopuses and observed the hatching of their young at the Dorado Outcrop, which is the size of a soccer field. It was among the six underwater mountains studied by the ship's underwater robot, ROV SuBastian, and is situated 1.7 miles below the surface in the lower parts of the so-called twilight zone.

Some of the octopuses, according to Beth Orcutt, a geomicrobiologist and senior research scientist at the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in Maine, were about to burst. Jorge Cortés, a Center for Research in Marine Sciences and Limnology researcher, and Orcutt served as the expedition's co-leaders.

First Impression
Scientists' puzzle was answered when they found a group of octopus parents and babies that was active.

A huge group of octopuses were initially discovered on Dorado Outcrop in 2013 during an excursion to analyze the geochemistry of the region.

The grouping of octopuses in this manner on a low-temperature hydrothermal vent, a hole in the bottom where warm, chemical-rich fluids pour out, was the first time it had been observed. Octopuses are normally solitary animals that prefer cooler waters.

More:
https://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/57191/20230630/octopus-nursery-discovered-2-miles-below-surface-home-potential-new.htm