Dumbo Octopus

Fascinating facts about the Dumbo Octopus

• The deepest confirmed sighting was at 7,000 metres in the Mariana Trench — a depth where a human would be instantly killed by pressure.
• Females can store sperm indefinitely and choose when to fertilise eggs, timing reproduction to whenever conditions are best — which could be years later.
• Because they live so deep, almost everything known about them comes from accidental trawl captures or remotely operated vehicle footage.

At a glance

About the Dumbo Octopus

Named after the Disney elephant for its ear-like fins, the Dumbo Octopus flaps these fins to "fly" through total darkness at depths where pressure would crush a submarine. It is the deepest-living of all octopus species, rarely seen and almost impossible to study in the wild.

Discover more wildlife