New octopus species discovered

Scientists say they have discovered what might be a new species of octopus while searching the Pacific Ocean floor near the Hawaiian Islands.

Michael Vecchione of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says in a statement Friday that on February 27 a team found a small light-coloured octopus at a depth of about 2.5 miles in the ocean near Necker Island.  Vecchione says the octopus did not have fins and all of its suckers were in one row on each arm.

He says the octopus "did not seem very muscular" and was light colored.

He adds that "this resulted in a ghostlike appearance, leading to a comment on social media that it should be called Casper, like the friendly cartoon ghost. It is almost certainly an undescribed species."

Vecchionne says the octopus was discovered during a search of the ocean floor by NOAA's Okeanos Explorer.

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