The Dumbo Octopus are a deep sea cephalopod that have short bodies with ear like fins above their large eyes.
They are semi-translucent and grow to an average length of 20-30cm (up to a foot) and live anywhere from 1000 - 7000m (3200 - 23000ft).
There are 17 known Dumbo Octopuses.
They are believed to eat small crustaceans, oysters and small snails.
Their breeding cycle is different from their shallower water relatives in that the females have eggs that are constantly at different stages of development, which means they can mate and lay eggs whenever they get the opportunity.
As they have relatively few predators they lack some of the defenses of other Octopuses, such as the ability to jet propel them selves away from danger and lack the ink sac used to squirt potential predators.
Deep sea mining affects creatures that live close to the seabed like the Dumbo Octopus. Also microplastics have been found in some of the deepest parts of the ocean potentially affecting them.
For more information on these mysterious and little known creatures of the deep please see the links below:
oceana.org/marine-life/dumbo-octopus/
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/what-is-a-dumbo-octopus.html
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OX7w5EcDX9o&t=37s
By Brendon Crook