Story perspectives

New Deep-Sea Octopus Discovered Near Galapagos, 3D-Modeled

5/28/2026

Summary

Scientists Discover Octopus

Scientists from the Charles Darwin Foundation discovered a new octopus 5,900 ft deep near the Galapagos Islands.
Octopus expert Janet Voight identified the specimen as Microeledone galapagensis, the smallest member of the Megaleledonidae family.
The Field Museum created a 3D model of the single specimen using CT scans instead of dissecting it.
The find joins four octopus species described from Costa Rica in 2024, highlighting deep-sea biodiversity remains unknown.

Summary

Voight Identifies Octopus

Janet Voight described the Galápagos octopus as the first new species she identified in her four-decade octopus research.
The specimen was preserved in alcohol and formalin and shipped to Chicago’s Field Museum.
The dive was a joint effort of the Charles Darwin Foundation, the Galápagos National Park Directorate and the research vessel E/V Nautilus.
Researchers filmed two additional blue octopuses, providing the first visual record of this deep-sea group.

1 of 2

Scientists Discover Octopus

Scientists from the Charles Darwin Foundation discovered a new octopus 5,900 ft deep near the Galapagos Islands.
Octopus expert Janet Voight identified the specimen as Microeledone galapagensis, the smallest member of the Megaleledonidae family.
The Field Museum created a 3D model of the single specimen using CT scans instead of dissecting it.
The find joins four octopus species described from Costa Rica in 2024, highlighting deep-sea biodiversity remains unknown.

1 / 2