4 new species of octopuses were discovered
4 new species of octopuses were discovered in the deep sea.
The Schmidt Ocean Institute announced Tuesday that a team of scientists has discovered four new species of octopus in Costa Rican waters.
According to ISNA, citing CBC, so far only one new species of deep sea octopus has been named. All four new species, found in an area of ​​100 square miles in Costa Rica, are going through the process of providing a formal scientific description.
Researchers call one of these named species the Dorado Octopus, which is named after the rock outcrop called El Dorado Hill where the octopus was found.
According to the researchers, the dorado octopus is a new species of Muusoctopus, which is related to the pearl octopus.
Researchers found a group of baby octopuses in Costa Rica in 2013, but at the time, scientists said they didn't see any developing embryos, which led them to believe that the conditions there were not conducive for baby octopuses to be born. That changed last year when researchers returned to the area and saw newborn octopuses.
Scientists found two octopus nurseries in June and returned to the area six months later for further study, according to the Schmidt Ocean Institute.
Dr. Beth Orcutt of the Bigelow Ocean Science Laboratory says, “Through hard work, our team has discovered new hot springs in Costa Rica and confirmed that these springs host unique octopuses and biodiversity.”
Dorado octopus was the only newly discovered species that was seen spawning in the hydrothermal springs of the region.
Octopuses often breed in warm waters to shorten the hatching time for the young octopuses.
According to the Schmidt Ocean Institute, between the June and December trips, the researchers collected more than 310 deep-sea samples. They are archived in the Zoological Museum of the University of Costa Rica.
Samples are usually sent to the United States or Europe, but keeping the samples in Costa Rica allows local scientists to study them.
Dr. Jorge Cortés from the University of Costa Rica says this research can help inform future policies to protect local waters.
There are about 300 species of octopus around the world that live in all the world's oceans.
