Footage captured by marine explorers shows two profoundly rare sights from underneath the ocean surface – a warty octopus and a zombie sponge.
The deepwater wonders were filmed by NOAA Ocean Exploration which released the images of the spooky-looking critters ahead of this year’s Halloween celebrations.
In the first piece of footage, a rare purple octopus with giant cartoon eyes can be seen casually roaming the ocean floor, spreading out its front tentacles as if it was doing a morning stretch.
What’s especially unique about this strangely pale specimen, however, is the fact that its body is covered in warts.
In a statement obtained by Newsflash, the NOAA Ocean Exploration said: “This octopus, nicknamed the warty octopus due to the cartilaginous bumps seen along its body, was seen off the Atlantic coast of Florida on the Blake Escarpment.”
Although little is known about this particular ocean creature, a study published in the Bulletin of Marine Science and led by author Janet Voight found that its unusual warty appearance is due to the fact it lives in the deeper ocean.
Put simply: the deeper the water – the more bumps on the body.
The second piece of footage reveals another even stranger discovery – a zombie sponge.
It has been dubbed a zombie because, at first glance, it appears both living and dead, the NOAA explained.
As the video shows, the “zombie” seems to have colonised internal parts of a dead skeleton.
“It’s actually the result of sponge larvae settling and growing within the skeleton of their deceased predecessor,” according to NOAA.
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Story By: Simona Kitanovska, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash
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