News Excerpt:
A team of scientists explored the depths of the seafloor off the coast of Costa Rica and discovered 4 new species of Deep-Sea Octopus, they have been temporarily named as “Dorado octopus.”
More about the discovery:
- The International science team discovered the new species during two 2023 expeditions examining seamounts off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.
- The team found two octopus nurseries affiliated with hydrothermal springs during their first expedition in June.
- Six months later, scientists returned to the nurseries and confirmed they appeared to be active year-round.
- They also observed several other new octopus species away from the hydrothermal springs.
- This discovery is a big step forward in our understanding of the hidden ecosystems in the deep ocean and the various life forms down there, making scientific exploration even more exciting.
About Octopus:
- Octopus, in general, any eight-armed cephalopod (octopod) mollusk of the order Octopoda.
- The true octopuses are members of the genus Octopus, a large group of widely distributed shallow-water cephalopods.
About the location of discovery:
- Scientists aboard Schmidt Ocean Institute's R/V Falkor (too) have discovered these species in a 100-square-mile-sized area off Costa Rica.
- Costa Rica, a country in Central America. Its capital is San José.
- Extending from northwest to southeast, Costa Rica is bounded by Nicaragua to the north, by the Caribbean Sea along the 185-mile (300-km) northeastern coastline, by Panama to the southeast, and by the Pacific Ocean along the 630-mile (1,015-km) southwestern coastline.
- At the country’s narrowest point, the distance between the Pacific and the Caribbean is only about 75 miles (120 km).
