Dumbos and flapjacks

 

There are dumbo octopuses and there are a variety of octopuses called flapjack octopuses. They are both very cute and very unique.

Recently, scientists from Australia described a new variety of the flapjack, which is called the Carnarvon flapjack octopus. It's not very big, according to their description, which they recently announced -- only about 4 cm in diameter.

As I said before, there are still discoveries to be made in this world.

'Rare and unusual' deep-sea 'pancake' creature discovered by scientists in Australia

The following is a more scientific description of the discovery.

New species of octopus discovered in a deep-sea canyon
The Carnarvon Flapjack Octopus is a small, gelatinous deep-sea octopus that grows to around 4 centimetres diameter.

Learn some more about it:

• The Carnarvon Flapjack Octopus is a small, gelatinous deep-sea octopus that grows to around 4 centimetres diameter, but little is known about its ecology or lifestyle.

• Flapjack octopuses are a type of cirrate or ‘dumbo’ octopus and there are approximately 50 described species of dumbo octopuses worldwide, with 15 species recorded from Australian waters.

• The flapjack octopus is a deep-sea shape shifter with the ability to flatten its body to resemble a pancake – or flapjack, hence its name – or to pull itself up to look like a tiny gelatinous umbrella.

• Flapjack octopuses have large eyes relative to their body size, enhancing their ability to detect prey in the dimly lit depths that they live. They eat worms and small crustaceans, using their tentacles to capture and consume their prey.

• The specimens used to describe the new species were collected from depths of 1044-1510 metres in and around the Carnarvon Canyon and Gascoyne Marine Parks in Western Australia.

Here are two pictures of flapjack octopuses, with one of them showing how it earned the name.