Okay, let’s be honest and admit it: we could never really have a pet octopus. I know many of you are probably wondering why I would even suggest such an odd thing. As interesting as they seem with their 8 legs and ability to spray ink, they still don’t exactly measure up to that cute little puppy you’ve had your eye on at the shelter. Octopus cartoons can sometimes be cute, like Pearl in “Finding Nemo,” but the real life version never seems as cuddly. Until now…
Octopus Adorabilicus (I’ve Seen Harry Use that One Before)
A new octopus has been discovered that looks like it could be straight out of a Disney cartoon, doe-eyed and all. In fact, it’s so cute that it might actually be scientifically named to prove it. This insanely adorable little guy might actually be named Opisthoteuthis adorabilis, according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. Stephanie Bush, the postdoctoral fellow naming the octopus, couldn’t help herself. This cartoon-like cephalopod is said to have webbing between its tentacles, which causes it to look as if it’s bouncing around in the water when it swims. It seems as though Disney had it right! Pearl is apparently the same class of species as its newly discovered, real-life relative. The next step seems to be trying to understand the behavior and the lifestyle of this deep-sea creature.
Science is Winning this Decade
Along with this new octopus discovery are many more that have been made within the last few years. You may have read about the recent “Hell Boy” dinosaur that sported a crown of horns. This discovery was actually made about 10 years ago, but researchers have spent a lot of time excavating the bones and testing to see what relation it had, if any, to other dinosaurs of the time. Evidence of a once living “spiky worm” has also been found. This creature has been named Hairy Collins’ Monster and was said to have had 30 legs. That’s the stuff that nightmares are made of.
There are many other adorable discoveries that have been made aside from these. Despite the many years we’ve been on Earth, it’s incredible to be reminded that we are still so young as a civilization and that we are still learning new things about this planet. There are so many things undiscovered that are just waiting for us to find them. And who knows, maybe one day you really can have an octopus for a pet. Never hurts to keep dreaming!
