The oceans are home to an incredible array of creatures, and none are as fascinating as the octopus. These creatures are known for their intelligence, ᴄᴀᴍᴏᴜꜰʟᴀɢᴇ abilities, and unique ᴀɴᴀᴛᴏᴍʏ. Recently, a young wunderpus octopus was discovered with a transparent ʜᴇᴀᴅ, allowing its ʙʀᴀɪɴ to be seen. This rare moment has given scientists a glimpse into the inner workings of these amazing creatures.
Taipei-Based Photographer Wu Yung-Sen
Lured by mystery, blackwater photographers dive into icy, ᴘɪᴛᴄʜ-ᴅᴀʀᴋ ᴅᴇᴘᴛʜs. Taipei-based photographer Wu Yung-sen has been deep-sea diving and photographing marine life for several years since 2016.
On a blackwater dive in Anilo in the Philippines in 2020, unable to see the bottom and surrounded by ɪᴍᴘᴇɴᴇᴛʀᴀʙʟᴇ tons of water, he chanced upon a rare larval Wunderpus octopus.
The incredible images highlight how delicate this creature is: its transparent ʙᴏᴅʏ even allows an observer to see its brilliantly red ʙʀᴀɪɴ – a sight few ever witness in the wild.
This moment was infrequent because octopuses are typically very good at ʜɪᴅɪɴɢ their ɪɴᴛᴇʀɴᴀʟ ᴏʀɢᴀɴs. Their ʙᴏᴅɪᴇs are covered in a thick layer of ᴍᴜsᴄʟᴇ, which helps to protect their ᴏʀɢᴀɴs and keep them ʜɪᴅᴅᴇɴ from view.
However, in this case, the young octopus was still developing its ᴍᴜsᴄᴜʟᴀʀ covering, making its ᴏʀɢᴀɴs visible.
The Animal Is Still Understudied Compared To Other Octopi
The Wunderpus octopus, called Wunderpus photogenicus, literally meaning photogenic wonder, was only first officially described by researchers in 2006.
The species lives in the coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean south of the Philippines. The adults are rusty red with white spots and stripes. They can ᴄᴏɴᴛᴏʀᴛ themselves to ᴍɪᴍɪᴄ other similarly shaded sea creatures, such as the ᴠᴇɴᴏᴍᴏᴜs spiny lionfish.
Wu Yung-Sen‘S Portfolio Has A Lot Of Other Fantastic Creatures Too
He has ᴄᴀᴘᴛᴜʀᴇᴅ this ᴇʟᴜsɪᴠᴇ creature and many others using the techniques employed by blackwater divers. These enthusiasts hope to encounter the unusual, solitary life forms in the open water.
The discovery of a young wunderpus octopus with a transparent ʜᴇᴀᴅ has given us a rare glimpse into the inner workings of these incredible creatures.
This moment reminds us of the importance of protecting our oceans and the creatures that live within them. In addition, it provides scientists with valuable insights into the behavior and intelligence of octopuses.
As we continue to explore and study the oceans, it is clear that there is still so much we have yet to discover about the incredible creatures that call them home.
