Flapjack octopus Carnarvonensis, found in Carnarvon Canyon at 1,510 meters, sports orange-brown skin, blood-red tentacles, and massive eyes. This newly named species, discovered May 20, 2025, is so soft and gelatinous it skips ink entirely. “Dumbo octopus are rare and unusual,” Dr Tristan Verhoeff notes.

Only known from Carnarvon Canyon and Gascoyne Marine Parks, the Carnarvon Flapjack Octopus joins Australia’s growing list of bizarre deep-sea finds. Terms like 'deep-sea octopus discovery' and 'rare dumbo octopus species' now feature surreal creatures that can’t even change color. Imagine a blood-red pancake with eyes.

Opisthoteuthis carnarvonensis measures just 40mm but lives over a kilometer below sea level.