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    - Photo via Schmidt Ocean Institute -
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Published on Wednesday,
July 5, 2023
By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A team of international scientists from the University of Costa Rica and the Schmidt Ocean Institute has discovered a new deep-sea octopus nursery at a low-temperature hydrothermal vent offshore of Costa Rica.
The discovery of the brooding site brings the world’s known octopus nurseries to three. The team also proved that the first known aggregation of deep-sea octopus, the Dorado Outcrop, is an active nursery.
Scientists believe the octopus is potentially a new species of Muusoctopus, a genus of small to medium-sized octopus without an ink sac. Additionally, the expedition reinforced the idea that some species of deep-sea octopus seek out low-temperature hydrothermal vents for brooding their eggs.
The 19-day Octopus Odyssey expedition led by Dr. Beth Orcutt of the U.S.-based Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences and Dr. Jorge Cortes of the University of Costa Rica aboard Schmidt Ocean Institute’s research vessel Falkor (too) included 18 international scientists.
The team was thrilled to confirm that the Dorado Outcrop is an active nursery. Scientists witnessed the Muusoctopus species hatch, disproving the idea that the area is inhospitable for developing octopus young.
The Dorado Outcrop nursery was originally discovered in 2013 and astonished scientists, as it was the very first observation of female octopuses gathering together to brood their eggs. No developing embryos were seen when the site was first explored, leading scientists to believe conditions at the Dorado Outcrop might not support octopus growth.
Five
never-before-seen seamounts in the
northwestern corner of Costa Rica’s
waters were also explored and
contained thriving
biodiversity, as well
as hundreds of animals, many of which
are suspected to be new species.
“The
discovery of a new active
octopus nursery over 2,800
meters beneath the sea surface
in Costa Rican waters proves
there is still so much to learn
about our Ocean,” said Schmidt
Ocean Institute Executive
Director, Dr. Jyotika Virmani.
“The deep-sea off Costa Rica
rides the edge of human
imagination, with spectacular
footage collected by ROV
SuBastian of tripod
fish,
octopus hatchlings, and coral
gardens. We look forward to
continuing to help the world
witness and study the wonders of
our incredible Ocean.”
The
seamounts, including the Dorado
Outcrop, are currently
unprotected from human
activities like fishing. Half of
the science team was composed of
Costa Rican scientists, some of
whom are working to determine if
the seamounts warrant protection
and should be designated marine
protected areas. “This
expedition to the Pacific deep
waters of Costa Rica has been a
superb opportunity for us to get
to know our own country,” said
Cortes. “The expedition had a
significant number of local
scientists and students which
will accelerate our capacity to
study deep regions. The
information, samples, and images
are important to Costa Rica to
show its richness and will be
used for scientific studies, and
outreach to raise awareness of
what we have and why we should
protect it.” During
the expedition, scientists used
an underwater robot, ROV
SuBastian, to
observe the seamounts and baby
octopuses. The
dives were made publicly
available in real-time through
the Schmidt Ocean
Institute livestream. “The
discovery of these
low-temperature vent sites is
difficult and can only be found
with submersible vehicles like
Schmidt Ocean Institute’s highly
capable ROV SuBastian,” said
Orcutt. Schmidt
Ocean Institute provides its
research vessel, R/V Falkor
(too) and
its underwater robot, ROV
SuBastian,
free of cost to the scientific
community. The organization will
continue research around Central
America for the remainder of
this year as part of a
larger 10-year
expedition plan. Schmidt
Ocean Institute, located in Palo
Alto, California, USA, was
established in 2009 by Eric and
Wendy Schmidt to catalyze the
discoveries needed to understand
our ocean, sustain life, and
ensure the health of our planet
through the pursuit of impactful
scientific research and
intelligent observation,
technological advancement, open
sharing of information, and
public engagement at the highest
levels of international
excellence. --------------------
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