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Octopus - Dumbo Creature Feature


E/V Nautilus is exploring the ocean while studying biology, geology, and archeology. Here, the team is thrilled to come across something truly — and unexpectedly — adorable.

You’re about to meet a Cirrate (or finned) octopus. This purple guy is also known as a “dumbo” octopus because the fins on the sides of his body makes him look like the flying elephant in the classic Disney cartoon. He spends a lot of time sitting on the bottom of the ocean floor, but he sometimes gets up and swims by a combination of fin flapping and jellyfish-like pulses of the arms and web.

Oh man, those tiny little ears flapping up and down, his gorgeous shade of purple, and those big, black eyes… He’s so darn cute, I can hardly stand it! Reminds me of the klepto octopus we recently met, only Dumbo here is way more cartoon-like. And it seems as though the Nautilus team is totally smitten by him, too.

About Barbara DiamondBarbara is a passionate writer and animal lover. She loves her rescue dog, drinking coffee while typing away on her computer, and indulging in some shameless reality TV.

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