14 DAY TRIAL // Earlier this month, a team of underwater explorers probing the waters off the coast of California came across a most adorable dumbo octopus.
The wildlife researchers snapped a few photos of the cute and cuddly ocean dweller, and even filmed it. Luckily for us, they didn't keep the footage all to themselves but instead shared it on social media.
“We found this little guy on a recent dive,” the crew of the Exploration Vessel Nautilus, operated by the Ocean Exploration Trust, wrote in a Twitter post.
Dumbo octopuses owe their name to a pair of fins that are positioned just above their lateral eyes and that resemble the ears of beloved cartoon character Dumbo the baby elephant.
Their body is shaped like a bell and they live deep at the bottom of the ocean, which explains why scientists don't get to study them in their natural habitat all that often.
Because they live in the deep ocean, where there aren't all that many creatures to hang around with, dumbo octopuses don't exactly have a diverse menu.
Rather, crustaceans, worms and other such teeny tiny creatures are their usual prey. Well, at least they don't have to worry about high cholesterol, not with this frugal diet.
The largest dumbo octopus on record measured around 1.8 meters (5.9 feet) in length. Most of them, however, average around 20 to 30 centimeters (7.9 to 12 inches).
We found this little guy on a recent dive. #NautilusLive #dumbo #FridayFeeling http://t.co/Y0A6WRXA4m pic.twitter.com/RcxKN5j4yB
— E/V Nautilus (@EVNautilus) August 21, 2015
