This Adorable Octopus Has Dumbo Ears
Deep-sea creatures are usually weird and scary-looking. But not this little octopus. It has ears like Dumbo and it's by far the cutest octopus we've ever seen. Learn about it below.
Want to read more? Check out this adorable cat that has four prosthetic legs.
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Meet Grimpoteuthis. You can call her Dumbo octopus. This adorable genus of octopuses ranges in length from eight inches (aww) to six feet long. They live in the extreme depths of the ocean - up to four miles below the surface of the ocean. Because of this, scientists haven't had many opportunities to study Dumbo octopuses.
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These sweet little fellas hoover up worms and snails from the ocean floor. They don't have ink sacs as a form of protection, so instead they have adapted to blend into the colors of their surroundings, like an invisibility cloak. Their tentacles are also lined with sharp spines for those who get too close.
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Dumbo octopuses propel themselves with - you guessed it - their Dumbo-like ears (which are actually fins and not ears at all). They also have a unique umbrella-shaped body with webs of skin connecting their eight tentacles, providing more surface area for the octopuses to push themselves through the water. On the ocean floor, they use their tentacles to crawl along the sand.
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Dumbo octopuses can be found in the deep oceans surrounding Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, and Monterey Bay. Unfortunately, you're unlikely to spot one while snorkeling - you have to get special equipment to reach the deep ocean floor.
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Scientists don't know much at all about Dumbo octopuses, but to us they look pretty friendly and even a little shy. The female Dumbos lay eggs on the ocean seabed under rocks and shells. The females don't need male Dumbo octopuses around much. Male Dumbos have a protuberance on one of their tentacles that transports an encapsulated packet of sperm to the females. From this, the females can utilize the sperm whenever they feel like it.
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Dumbo octopuses come in a range of colors and shapes, and those ear-like fins look so much like floppy puppy ears that we can't handle it.
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Scientists hope that more footage of Dumbo octopuses will change people's perceptions of deep-sea creatures. Not off of them are ugly (like the goblin shark), scary (like the anglerfish) or downright weird (like the spaghetti monster). Deep-sea creatures can also be super cute!
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We think Dumbo octopuses are extremely adorable and we wouldn't mind if they came up from the depths of the ocean to say hello.
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