Just a little guy who was recently discovered. Photo by Popular Science.

An exciting new discovery has been made off the coast of Costa Rica: four new octopus species! Scientists from the Schmidt Ocean Institute found the creatures hatching deep below the sea in a group. Finding so many different octopus species together and 3,000 meters deep is a miracle.

One of the species has been named the “Dorado Octopus,” named after the place of discovery, El Dorado Hill. The little guys are believed to be a new species of Muusoctopus. A genus of octopus that has evolved to brood their eggs near warm water leaking from nearby hydrothermal vents. In doing this, the octopus speeds up the brooding time, which can sometimes take over a year. The longest recorded brooding was 4.5 years!

With the current discovery, scientists are still collecting data to write formal descriptions of the sea creatures. Janet Voight, Associate Curator of Invertebrate Zoology at the Field Museum, noted that two of the other octopuses are also muusoctopuses, but the fourth is unlike anything she has ever seen.

The research team is also noted for finding two major octopus nurseries, a skate nursery, and three hydrothermal springs. During the expeditions, they collected more than 300 deep-sea specimens for analysis, potentially finding even more new species. If you would like to stay updated on the team’s expeditions and discoveries, you can visit the Schmidt Ocean Institute’s website. Learn how you and others can help protect the ocean at Ocean Conservancy’s Action Center.