They recorded a mysterious octopus at the bottom of the ocean. She dances for us
Octopus-ballerina recorded on film. A unique recording reveals an animal living at a depth of almost 5 kilometers under the water surface, in the so-called the abyss zone. The octopus’s movements are extremely interesting and resemble water jumping.
At a time when people are more and more willing to talk about discovering more and more distant corners of space, our neighborhood, much closer to us, still hides many mysteries. The depths of the oceans are home to many creatures that are still unknown to us. One of them was recently captured on film and the effect was shown to the world. The recording shows an extraordinary octopus that “jumps” in the water with the grace of a ballerina.
Dancing to silent disco?
The dancing creature was recorded at a depth of 4,800 meters below the water’s surface as part of a study conducted by scientists from the University of Western Australia. By using appropriate equipment that could withstand demanding temperatures and pressures, as well as work in the dark, it was possible to record an octopus known as the big-eyed jellyfish (Cirrothauma cf. magna).
“Dancing” performances are not unique to this creature. A 1997 study cited by sciencealert.com mentions octopuses bouncing off the seabed in a similar way. Similar observations are also made by an article from 2023 about the species Cirroteuthis muelleri, which performs the same sequence of movements. At the top of its “jump”, the animal spreads its arms and uses the membrane between them to slow down and prolong the second phase of “flight”.
During this movement, the octopus can also, for example, catch some prey, thanks to which it provides itself with food. However, it provokes us once again to turn away from the space race and the stars, at least for a moment, and look around for what is still mysterious and beautiful in the area much closer to us.
