Lots of animals are cute, but this tiny octopus might just be the cutest — certainly among undersea mollusks. The sea creature is so cute though, that scientists want to name the orange octi Opistoteuthis adorabilis.
The The deep-sea cephalopod has never officially been scientifically named, and it’s impossible not to be drawn in by those big eyes and cute tentacles. The creature found off the coast of California looks like a real-life Pokemon character and currently only 12 are known to exist.
Dr. Stephanie Bush, of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute is tasked with naming the sea cutey and admits that its adorable-appeal is inescapable. “As someone that’s describing the species, you get to pick what the specific name is. One of the thoughts I had was making it Opistoteuthis adorabilis, because they are really cute.”
The MBARI researchers are studying one of the octopuses in a tank and are currently incubating several eggs, but in the meantime they’re all pretty much fawning over the little guy.
