Casper, is that you? Scientists have discovered a new species of octopus while on a deep sea dive near Hawaii.
Look at this little guy. They found him sitting on a flat rock at more than 14,000 feet below the ocean's surface -- that's more than two miles deep!
No one's ever seen this kind of octopod before. Some of his unique features include a lack of pigment cells, hence the ghostlike appearance. The octopus also has all of its suckers in one row on each arm, rather than the typical two rows. The original purpose of the dive was to try to collect rock samples.
Instructional Links
Website Article & Video: NOAA, Deep Discoverer Discovers a Very Deep, Ghostlike Octopod http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex1603/logs/mar2/mar2.html
Video: PBS LearningMedia, Dragonfly TV, Scientist Profile, Octopus Trainer http://ideastream.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/7e2d7526-49a5-451b-84d4-16b9e4bbaf3f/7e2d7526-49a5-451b-84d4-16b9e4bbaf3f/
Website Article: National Geographic Kids, Octopus http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/octopus/#octopus.jpg
Website Article: Animal Fact Guide, Common Octopus http://www.animalfactguide.com/animal-facts/common-octopus/