05/26/2026
Deep-sea scientists just confirmed a tiny, vivid blue octopus lurking nearly 6,000 feet beneath the Galápagos Islands is an entirely new species.
First spotted in 2015 from a remotely operated sub near Darwin Island, the creature is no bigger than a golf ball and has been officially named Microeledone galapagensis.
The moment it appeared on camera, one scientist could be heard exclaiming, "He's tiny! It's blue!"
Because only one specimen was collected, researchers chose not to dissect it.
Instead, they used micro-CT scanning to build a detailed 3D model of the octopus's internal organs, which confirmed it had never been documented before.
Blue is considered one of the rarest colors in nature, making the species visually extraordinary even by deep-sea standards.
"Right away, I knew it was something really special. I'd never seen anything like it," said Janet Voight, octopus expert and curator at Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History.
