A Curious Octopus

A curious octopus (Grimpoteuthis) peers into the viewport of the human-occupied deep-submergence vehicle Alvin, while the observers inside are undoubtedly peering out to look at it. Cirrate octopuses like this one have fins on the sides of their heads that look a little like ears, which is why they are sometimes called dumbo octopuses. During this November 2007 research cruise to the East Pacific Rise aboard the research vessel Atlantis, WHOI biologist Lauren Mullineaux headed a team studying how larvae of tube worms and other deep-sea creatures disperse from hydrothermal vent areas and colonizes fresh vent fields. (Photo courtesy of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Archives)