A rare cirrate octopus from the deep ocean off the coast of Oregon

This orange cirrate octopus, Cirroteuthis muelleri, was captured on film by MBARI’s ROV Tiburon in Astoria Canyon off the Oregon coast at 2,727 meters (8,946 feet) deep. It gave us a perfect view of the cirri-lined arms as it pulled its arms up over its eyes, probably to shade their eyes from the bright lights of the ROV. The cirri are finger-like appendages that it uses to sift through sediment to find prey like small crustaceans and worms.
Back to Top