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 almost 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 Jorge Cortes of the University of Costa Rica.
A statement published on the website of the Schmidt Ocean Institute quotes its executive director Dr Jyotika Virmani, “The discovery of a new active octopus nursery over 2,800 meters beneath the sea surface in Costa Rican waters proves there is still so 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 high diversity of creatures!” the institute wrote posting a video of the expedition on Twitter.
The octopuses in the newly-found nursery belong to the genus of Muusoctopus, and don’t have ink sacs – an organ found in most cephalopods.
During the expedition, the researchers also spotted another active nursery. When it was discovered first in 2013, no developing embryos were detected. However, researchers confirmed that the ‘Dorado Outcrop,’ previously identified as a gathering site for deep-sea octopuses, is indeed an active nursery.
Dr. Rachel Lauer, a geoscience professor 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.
The two nurseries, plus another one off the coast of Monterey, California, brings the total number of known octopus nurseries up to three.
