There’s a reason the dumbo octopus won the award of Nautilus Live fan favorite deep sea creature- no matter how many times we see one of these pelagic cirrate octopods, it’s always a treat! The team was treated to THREE different dumbo octopuses during dive H1993 as we explored the slopes of seamounts in US waters south of Johnston Atoll near the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument. Exploration dives continue to reveal incredible animals living in the deep sea including in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ).

Get up close and personal with these tentacled cephalopods in this highlight video! First up at 1,494 meters deep, we see a long-armed yellow Cirroteuthid that is so large it practically dwarfs the scaling lasers. After that, you’ll see two Grimpoteuthis octopuses: one adorable pink one spotted at 1,575 meters and at 1,423 meters an extra plump individual with fins that earn its name “Dumbo.” Did you know that dumbo octopuses are the deepest living of all octopuses and can be found up to 4,000m?