Ocean Exploration Trust

OET’s #CorpsofExploration never tires of spotting a #cephalopod while exploring the #deepsea. Delightfully, during our exploration in the waters of the #CookIslands, we came across this mini #octopus while diving with #ROVLittleHercules over 5,100 meters deep. While the team exploring live initially guessed it was a dumbo octopus, a closer look at the footage suggests it is a baby #cirrateoctopus from the #Cirrothauma genus. This type of octopus is unique in that it lacks lenses in its eyes and can be recognized because its eyes are covered by tissue in the head, making them less visible than the eyes of its dumbo octopus relatives. Enjoy stunning views of this delicate gelatinous individual thanks to the expedition's field testing of DeepSea Power & Light's MxD camera! Watch here: https://lnkd.in/eEW6smpz

#NewBookAlert! #CorpsofExploration member Jon Willis's new book "The Pale Blue Data Point: An Earth-Based Perspective on the Search for Alien Life" includes some of his experience sailing on #EVNautilus in search of unique #deepsea habitats. Learn more: https://bit.ly/4od4mTh

During the NA176 expedition, the Nautilus team used ROVs Little Hercules and Atalanta to dive over 5,000 meters (16,400 feet) deep and the first views of explored areas of the #CookIslands’ seafloor. Our team encountered a wealth of biodiversity, including many gorgeous #GlassSponges. In this video, you’ll get up close and personal with some of them, starting with a resilient Euplectellid glass sponge growing in a unique shape from the seafloor. Glass sponge skeletons are made up of tiny sharp silica spicules that form geometric patterns, creating sculptural shapes. Further on the seabed, the team spotted (likely) a carnivorous sponge sharing its sturdy seabed boulder in the currents with a filter-feeding friend #tunicate. Sponges are habitat engineers on the seafloor, including the rotund white sponge with hollowed caverns- perfect for other deep-sea animals to live in! Join the team looking closely at the semi-translucent sponges on the abyssal plain to spot identifying characteristics around the like brittle stars and squat lobsters. https://lnkd.in/ek2GRmyN This compilation reminds us how diverse and ecologically important these ancient deep-sea sponges are! Special thanks to DeepSea Power & Light ‪for partnering with OET to test their MxD SeaCam imaging system, which gave us some incredible zooms of these sponges!

Is it a butterfly doing a backstroke? You may not know it, but this deep-sea #isopod is a rare sight! Scientists still have much to learn about the long-limbed crustacean #Bathyopsurus, as only a few specimens (of only two species) have been collected. Join our team marveling as this segmented sea creature uses its large paddle-legs to power backward up into the water column. Isopods in the family #Munnopsidae are widely distributed worldwide, yet we still know very little about the basic distribution, biology, and ecology of this genus. Our Corps of Exploration spotted this individual with ROV Little Hercules diving over 5,100 meters (16,700 feet) deep on the abyssal plain in Cook Island waters, making this a new record for the region. Sightings like this remind us of how much work it takes to observe #deepseaanimals in their natural habitat and how much we still have to learn about them. https://lnkd.in/easTAqAE Special thanks to DeepSea Power & Light ‪‪‬for their MxD SeaCam imaging system, which brought us this stunning 4K footage!

Join the 2026 Nautilus Exploration Program and sail on #EVNautilus with the #CorpsofExploration next year! PAID science storytelling opportunities are available for classroom and informal educators, writers, or artists to bring the excitement of discovery to your learners and home community. Apply to be a #ScienceCommunicationFellow by December 1: https://ow.ly/Cegf50Xh2b3

Have you ever heard of a #lizardfish? Our Corps of Exploration came across this #HighfinLizardfish (Bathysaurus mollis) at over 4,700 meters (15,400 ft) deep while exploring the abyssal plains in the deep sea around the #CookIslands. These benthic predators are known for their unique lizard-like faces, with impressive rows of needle-like teeth fringing strong jaws, which help them feed on other deep-sea fish. The yellow appearance of its eye comes from the tapetum lucidum, which reflects light to enhance vision in low-light environments. The team loved spotting this new friend, as it represents one of the deepest-dwelling apex predators in the ocean's abyssal plain. https://lnkd.in/ePb6G2hv Special thanks to DeepSea Power & Light ‪‪‬for their MxD SeaCam imaging system, which brought us this stunning 4K footage!

Our #CorpsofExploration encountered this #BigfinSquid (genus Magnapinna) over 5,100 meters deep while exploring the abyssal plain in the waters of the #CookIslands. These #cephalopods are rarely ever seen by humans (with fewer than two dozen recorded sightings and no physical collections), since they are the only squid known to live as deep as the hadal zone. The #squid’s distinctive morphology includes extra-long tentacles and arms with microscopic suckers, and “elbows” likely used to catch and eat planktonic crustaceans. Moments like this —meeting rare ocean life —remind us all how much we have to learn about the deep ocean. https://lnkd.in/eTNpCW_Y Special thanks to DeepSea Power & Light for the MxD SeaCam mounted on ROV Little Hercules that brought us this footage!

Sail onboard #EVNautilus in 2026 with a PAID internship! We're accepting applications from community college students, undergrads, graduate students, and recent grads in four categories: #OceanScience, #RemotelyOperatedVehicle #Engineering, #VideoSystemsEngineering, and #SeafloorMapping/Hydrography! Learn more and apply by January 4, 2026: https://lnkd.in/e5n7xAjS

Science Update: After consulting cephalopod expert Michael Vecchione, we now believe this individual octopus to be in the Cirroteuthidae family (probably Cirrothauma). There's still so much to learn about the animals of the deep sea and every sighting contributes to our growing knowledge bank! Spotted: a dumbo octopus (Grimpoteuthis genus)! Our #CorpsofExploration came across this #cephalopod while exploring the abyssal plain in the waters of the #CookIslands, over 5,000 meters (16,400 feet) deep. Watch until the end and you’ll be treated to a gorgeous look at the underside of this octopus, including the rows of suckers on its eight tentacles. Each tentacle is connected by a web of skin, allowing for the graceful pulsing umbrella movement we were lucky enough to catch on camera of ROV Little Hercules. While #dumbooctopus’ tentacles lack spines like those of some other #octopus species, they do have cirri —strand-like structures on each tentacle that help them locate food and sense their environment. https://lnkd.in/ebiaG4pf Special thanks to DeepSea Power & Light for the MxD SeaCam mounted on ROV Little Hercules that brought us this footage!

It's #InternationalArchaeologyDay! Look back at some of the amazing photos taken by ROVs Hercules and Atalanta of the newly-discovered IJN Teruzuki in this photo album from the NA173 expedition: https://bit.ly/4nbPIKK