Mysterious tentacles washed up on a beach in Scotland belong to a rare deep-sea creature called the seven-arm octopus, a scientist has told Sky News.
The remains were found by a couple of local residents who spotted the arms at Forvie National Nature Reserve in Collieston, Aberdeenshire, and contacted reserve staff.
Marine biologist Dr Lauren Smith, who rushed over the following day to investigate, told Sky News it was “an incredible find”.
The octopuses, which have the scientific name Haliphron atlanticus, usually glide through waters at a depth of 500m plus and can reach up to four metres in size – making them a highly unusual find in the shallow areas of the Scottish coast.
The species actually have eight arms, despite the name, but males have one modified arm, a reproductive organ, that curls under itself.
Dr Smith said when she saw the photographs “of these arms with the suckers on like that” it was the “sheer size of them that I realised it was something pretty special”.
Scientists have been scratching their heads over how the rare octopus species washed up in the shallow coastal waters.
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Dr Smith posed the theory that the octopus could have become “disorientated” before being partially consumed, noting that there are large whales in the area, with the remains then washing up onto the beach.
The arms are now in her freezer, she added. “I had to get them frozen down as soon as possible because they’re obviously quite important finds.”
Dr Smith, of East Grampian Coastal Partnership, said they will now be taken to various laboratories, research areas, research groups, and potentially some museums, for analysis.
