Thread by @SchmidtOcean

Our recent footage of this #GlassOctopus raised lots of Q's, so let's get a thread going:
This was seen 651m deep at a seamount in Winslow reef complex on Tokelau Ridge in Phoenix Islands Archipelago (US EEZ). #PhoenixIslandsCoral expedition Dive 433

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Glass Octopus reach 11 cm (4.3 in) in mantle length; 45 cm (18 in) including tentacles. This species is very rarely encountered+is considered 1 of the least studied cephalopods. Most info scientists have managed to get is from specimens found in stomachs of predators. 2/6

It gets its name from ability to be almost completely transparent. At end of this clip, its chromatophores (cells that produce color for camouflage, seen here as yellow dots) can be seen. The only aspects of that are not clear are optic nerve, eyeballs, and digestive tract. 3/6

Its eyes are elongated+appear almost rectangular from the side - w/ lens at one end, retina at other. This helps stealth: From below, they cast much smaller shadow than half-globe eyes of other octopuses. The eyes point upwards to gather residual daylight. 4/6

It is a pelagic octopus, swimming through the ocean far above the sea floor. While little is known about its overall numbers in wild, the @IUCN lists it as Species of Least Concern due to its apparent wide distribution across the entire globe’s tropical+subtropical waters. 5/6

See more about the expedition, including coral predators, hammerhead shark territorial “zoomies”, a whale shark encounter, amazing coral ecosystems+more by searching #PhoenixIslandsCoral and visiting the website: schmidtocean.org/cruise/discove… 6/6

All with collaborators
@Phoenix_Islands
@USFWSPacific
@BUMPatBU @BU_Tweets @BUexperts
@WHOI
@ConservationOrg
@BostonChildrens
@harvardmed