Palm-Sized Blue Octopus Found Near Galápagos Islands

A palm-sized blue octopus living nearly 6,000 feet below the ocean's surface has finally been named as a new species, nine years after researchers first spotted the adorable creature and couldn't stop gushing about how cute it was.

The tiny eight-armed animal made its debut in 2015 when scientists aboard the EV Nautilus were exploring the deep waters near the Galápagos Islands. Their underwater robot captured footage that had the research team immediately charmed.

"He's tiny!" one researcher said during the livestream. Another chimed in, "Is that a cute little guy or what?"

The scientists carefully collected the small octopus using their robot and preserved it. But the real work didn't begin until the specimen arrived at the Field Museum in Chicago in 2022.

Zoologist Janet Voight faced a delicate challenge when studying the octopus. The preservation liquid hadn't fully penetrated the specimen because of eggs in its ovaries, making the flesh extremely fragile.

"If you make the wrong cut or tear something, it's gone forever," Voight said. "The cost of going to sea is just astronomical, and the chances of finding another one and successfully collecting it are just not high."

So the team turned to micro-CT scanning, a technique that uses thousands of X-ray slices to create a 3D digital model without cutting into the specimen. The scans revealed smooth skin, a single tooth, few arm suckers, and unique coloring that confirmed this was indeed a new species.

The octopus was officially named Microeledone galapagensis in honor of where it was found. The study appeared in the journal Zootaxa in May.

One mystery still puzzles researchers: how does an octopus with such stubby arms and few suckers catch enough food to survive? The answer might lie in its unusual coloring.

While the octopus appears blue on camera, it actually has a colorless topside and a deep purple interior. This reverse countershading may help it hunt while staying hidden from predators.

When the octopus pounces on prey that glows with bioluminescence, its dark webbing could cover up the light like a blanket. Its pale backside helps it blend in with other shimmering creatures in the water above.

Why This Inspires

About 300 octopus species are currently recognized, but this discovery reminds us how much of our ocean remains unexplored. Every deep-sea expedition reveals creatures we've never seen before, proof that our planet still holds countless wonders waiting to be discovered.

"We just don't know enough about the biodiversity of the deep sea in general," said marine ecologist Jim Barry of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. The findings highlight how much life exists in the depths and why protecting these mysterious ecosystems matters.

This tiny blue octopus proves that remarkable discoveries are still out there, waiting in the darkness.