The Octopus Is So Cute, Scientists Might Call It 'Adorabilis'

Deep in the dark ocean abyss live mysterious creatures largely unknown to humankind. Some are indeed frightening, shocking species which we have little desire to interact with, study or identify. Others are little googly-eyed, orange octopuses so cute scientists want to officially name them 'adorabilis.'

The adorable creatures I'm talking about are a species of deep-sea cephalopod from the Opisthoteuthis (flap jack octopus) genus—a group of octopuses that are known for their cute, compressed shape and stumpy, webbed limbs. The unnamed octopuses spend their days "spreading their webbed tentacles and floating through the water, using tiny fins that look like hippo ears to steer,"explains Discover. They have gelatinous, fragile bodies and impressively large (adorably cute) eyes. 

via YouTube/SciFri

Scientists have been aware of this unidentified little animal since about the 1990s, but have not yet undertaken the exhaustive process of giving it a formal name. This process, requiring intensive study and publication work, could take years, says Kim Fulton-Bennett of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI). 

But one scientist is up to the job: the MBARI's Dr. Stephanie Bush. 

via YouTube/SciFri

Dr. Bush has been studying and caring for these unidentified and super-adorable octopuses in chilled, dark aquariums with her team of researchers for quite some time now. She has been working hard to gain an understanding of their internal and external anatomy—the attributes that make them distinct from and related to other species. And she has now been given exclusive naming rights. 

So what is she thinking for the squishy specimen? What will accurately describe its octopus genus, but also reflect its agreeable googly-eyed face and cute, stubby tentacle limbs? 

Adorabilis, of course. 

"As someone that’s describing the species you get to pick what the specific name is," Bush told Science Friday. "One of the thoughts I had was making it Opisthoteuthis adorabilis, because they are just really cute."