🦑 Meet Planctoteuthis sp.! 🦑

According to #SamplingGap Co-chief sci Dr. Perez:
“Images have finally enabled the description of this tail, but no one knows what it is used for. It looks like a siphonophore from a distance, and one hypothesis is that it could be used for siphonophore mimicry.”

In celebration of World Octopus Day, we wanted to revisit one of our favorite cephalopod sightings, the glass octopus — Vitreledonella richardi filmed during a month-long #PhoenixIslandsCoral expedition in 2021.

57 new species discovered by scientists from the Ocean Census Science Network, in partnership with @schmidtocean.bsky.social, CONICET Dialoga and Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales.

Read the press release: oceancensus.org/press-releas...

Join us on 28 Sept. for a rich discussion about seamount ecology, what scientists have learned so far, and what remains to be understood about underwater mountains in our Ocean.

Register: https://schmidtocean-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_RTc6c9dORl6xqdk07FQogw

Join us on 28 Sept. for a rich discussion about seamount ecology, what scientists have learned so far, and what remains to be understood about underwater mountains in our Ocean.

Register: https://schmidtocean-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_RTc6c9dORl6xqdk07FQogw

Siphonophore — the grizzly bear of squishy things. ROV pilots recorded this footage at 1589 meters during the 2025 #AsgardArchaea expedition in the deep waters of Uruguay. (Sound on to learn more.)

The one where a crab tries very hard not to be seen. 🦀

This school of fish was observed not observing a crab crawling along the seafloor at 205 meters. The #URUGUAYSUB200 science team was exploring near the head of the La Paloma submarine canyon along the edge of the Uruguayan continental shelf.

A newly discovered deep-sea coral solves 100-year-old mystery! Meet Paragorgia quitinosa, a bubblegum coral that can grow taller than a 2-story building — w/NO internal skeleton. Scientists have wondered for over a century: how?

The answer: chitin.

Read the paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Fishy Friday: Bathypterois sp., a tripod fish. Solitary and stationary, these deep-sea denizens perch above the seafloor using specialized fin rays and face into the current. When an unsuspecting copepod or other tiny crustacean drifts by, this animal is set to snack.

#Doldrums, 2,040 meters

Squid vibes: #DeepWonders science team encountered this cutie at 1,045 m. They marveled at the specialized cells in their skin, chromatophores — these tiny sacs that contain pigment. As a squid relaxes & contracts its muscles, it reveals or hides pigment for camouflage or communication.

In this latest Science Story — a recurring series that focuses on the people behind the science — #SaltyStaircases Co-Chief Sci Dr. Selden shares what it is like to go to sea for the first time as a chief scientist and as a new mother. youtu.be/AlO1r7dNSko?...

#DeepWonders science team, led by @divaamon.bsky.social located 25 cold seep ecosystems and discovered 20 suspected new species. They also encountered abandoned fishing gear and trash — an important reminder that humans have an impact in places they’ve never seen or visited before.

Our latest expedition video is out. Watch and learn about #SaltyStaircases from the expedition team who've been working about 300 miles east of Barbados for the last 25 days.

youtu.be/Mzcn9ixsPOk?...

This chimaera is ready for their close-up.

The runway is ready, and this deep-sea beauty is cleared for takeoff. Nothing screams confidence like slowing down for a large robot and letting ROV pilots zoom right in for a visual inspection.

#DeepWonders of Trinidad & Tobago, 1,246 m

Backward-swimming Bathyopsurus — a rare deep-sea isopod that lives between 4,000 and 11,000 m. They use two pairs of enlarged, paddle-like legs to swim; scientists have observed the animal moving backward and even upside down. #DeepWonders, Trinidad & Tobago, 3,923 m

A chemosynthetic ecosystem — cold seeps fueling life here at 1,655 meters was discovered by the #DeepWonders science team, led by @divaamon.bsky.social, in Trinidad & Tobago. Read more about how they found it in the caption: youtube.com/shorts/waLnV...

The month-long #DeepWonders expedition, led by @divaamon.bsky.social, documented rare ecosystems and awe-inspiring wildlife in the deep waters of Trinidad & Tobago; their work will inform future ocean stewardship in the Caribbean & beyond. Read more about this seafloor scene: bit.ly/3Szw2ap