Glass Octopus
Another highlight of the researchers’ expedition: two rare encounters with a glass octopus, one of the strangest and coolest species I’ve ever seen. These cyberpunk-looking guys have transparent, gelatinous bodies. The only colorful parts of them are their optic nerves, eyeballs, and digestive tracts.
Capturing footage of the glass octopus wasn’t just cool but will likely also prove useful. Before this expedition, scientists had almost no documentation of the animal in the wild. That means they’ve mostly had to learn about it by studying specimens found in the gut contents of predators. But now, armed with close-range, high-definition video and photos, they might be able to learn more about the mysterious creatures.
“The ocean holds wonders and promises we haven’t even imagined, much less discovered,” Wendy Schmidt, co-founder of Schmidt Ocean Institute, said in a statement.
