Friday Deep-Sea Picture: Cirrate Octopus

Credit to NOC and Deepscape.org: Coarse rocky ground with cirrate octopus (Cephalopod) above the seabed taken at 1126m in the Faroe-Shetland Channel. Others great images can be viewed by searching around their image bank.

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From TOL:
The Cirrata contains about 40 species many of which are poorly known and of uncertain status...One of the most distinctive features of this group and the feature from which it derives its name, is the presence of cirri. The oral view of the arms and web of a cirrate below barely shows the cirri lining the arms but the insert show the cirri clearly. The cirri are the long, slender, muscular papillae lining the arm. The exact function of the cirri is unknown but they are thought to play a role in feeding.

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Hi, I was told that sunlight (FIR...Far Infrared Rays) is as essential as oxygen for sustaining life. At the depths where sunlight cannot reach the life forms derive the required doses of FIR from the sand on the deep sea beds. Please tell me if this is true. If not... how the life at the defth sustains. Await your reply. Thanks. ...Anil

By Anil Tambe (not verified) on 29 May 2010 #permalink