March 5, 2016 — For a team of federal researchers looking for geologic data on the ocean floor, the pale, ghostly appearance of a unique octopus species inspired diverse reactions.

“That animal is not in the … guide,” said a researcher during the live-feed video from the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research. “In the immortal words of Taylor Swift, I have never – like ever – seen that one.”

They found the well-armed sea creature, believed to be a new species of octopus, sitting on flat rock 4,000 meters (13,123 feet) below sea level near Hawaii, Michael Vecchione, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) zoologist, wrote in a statement.

“This animal was particularly unusual because it lacked the pigment cells, called chromatophores, typical of most cephalopods, and it did not seem very muscular,” Mr. Vecchione wrote. “This resulted in a ghostlike appearance, leading to a comment on social media that it should be called Casper, like the friendly cartoon ghost.”

Vecchione saw what he called a “remarkable little octopod” while monitoring the video feed from the remotely operated vehicle Deep Discover, which launched from the NOAA’s only federally funded vehicle for deep-sea research, the ship Okeanos Explorer, Christine Dell’Amore reported for National Geographic. 

Read the full story at The Christian Science Monitor