A New, Shape-Shifting ‘Flapjack’ Octopus Has Been Discovered in the Deep Sea Off the Coast of Australia The tiny Carnarvon flapjack octopus is the latest of ten species described by Australian scientists after a 2022 research trip The newly described octopus, Opisthoteuthis carnarvonensis, has red tentacles. Cindy Bessey / CSIRO A new species of shape-shifting octopus has just been described by scientists in Australia. The tiny cephalopod grows only about 1.6 inches across, but it can survive more than half a mile beneath the ocean’s surface. Scientists have named the octopus the Carnarvon flapjack (Opisthoteuthis carnarvonensis), after the Carnarvon Canyon Marine Park off the coast of Western Australia, where it was found back in 2022. The “flapjack” part of its name comes from its shape-shifting nature—flapjack octopuses can flatten their bodies into pancake-like discs. The octopus marks the tenth new species to be described from specimens collected by researchers aboard the Investigator, a vessel led by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Australia’s national scientific research agency. The ship has been charting Australia’s waters for years, mapping the seafloor and studying marine life. During the 2022 expedition, the team used high-tech cameras, nets and sleds to collect samples and snap photographs deep below the ocean’s surface. Many of the specimens they found are thought to be new species, according to a statement from CSIRO. Tristan Verhoeff, a volunteer systematic taxonomist at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, went through a long, multi-step process to name the new octopus and verify that it had never been seen before. “It is exciting, but at the same time, there is pressure to do it right,” he says to Crystal McKay at theAustralian Broadcasting Corporation. “It is easy to think you have a new species when you don’t. That’s why it takes time, as you need to compare specimens and literature descriptions.” To name the new species, Verhoeff had to collect measurements of the octopus, count its suckers, dissect its organs and take detailed photos, per the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Then, researchers compared that information to records of already identified species. Top view of the new octopus species (Opisthoteuthis carnarvonensis) Cindy Bessey / CSIRO The Carnarvon flapjack is a type of deep-sea dwelling “dumbo” octopus, so nicknamed because the ear-like fins just above their eyes give them a resemblance to the popular Disney elephant. “Dumbo octopus are a rare and unusual species that live on the seafloor,” adds Verhoeff in the statement. “They reproduce and grow slowly, are very soft and gelatinous and, unlike other octopus, they produce no ink and cannot change color.” Some of the Investigator’s other recent discoveries include the painted hornshark, the parallel-spine scorpionfish and an “incredibly rare” blind cusk eel. These creatures all add to scientists’ understanding of seafloor habitats in Western Australia. A researcher holds the painted hornshark, which was discovered on the Investigator's 2022 expedition. Frederique Olivier / CSIRO Scientists discovered the parallel-spine scorpionfish on the 2022 research voyage. Frederique Olivier / CSIRO The findings also “help marine managers, such as Parks Australia, better conserve and protect the incredible diversity of marine life that inhabits Australia’s oceans,” says Venetia Joscelyne, the CSIRO Marine National Facility team leader, to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. “Incredibly, scientists estimate that there are likely more than 1,000 new species waiting to be described from specimens collected on CSIRO RV Investigator voyages over the past ten years,” she adds in the statement. If you want to feel like you’re part of the adventure, you can watch a live stream of the vessel on its journey of discovery. Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.