Rare ROV Footage of a Tiny Ghostly ‘Casper’ Octopus

While exploring off the deep waters of the Gardner Pinnacles, 500 nautical miles off O’ahu, Hawaii, the ROV Hercules (launched from the E/V Nautilus) encountered the ghostly sight of a tiny bioluminescent octopus floating around on the midnight zone sea floor at about 2,300 meters (1.43 miles) down. This particular species of cephalopod hasn’t been officially named as of yet, although most scientists refer to them as Casper.

This cephalopod was first discovered by NOAA Ship Okeakos Explorer in 2016 in Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument and is still so new to science that they still haven’t been described and given a formal name yet. …Take a look at this adorable deep sea creature and its semi-translucent, shimmering skin that gives us a glimpse inside its bulbous ghosty “Casper” head

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.

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