Rare deep-sea seven-arm octopus remains wash up on Scottish beach

The remains of a rare deep-sea octopus has washed up on a beach in Aberdeenshire.

The Forvie National Nature Reserve were alerted to the discovery of a “thick tentacle” located at the beach near Newburgh.

In 1998, a dead giant squid washed up near the location of the latest discovery, however, due to the lack of teeth on the suckers, the remains were deemed to be something else.

The remains have since been attributed to a seven-arm octopus, which is a rarely seen giant cephalopod that dwells deep in the ocean’s twilight zone.

A larger portion of the octopus was found at the nature reserve. NatureScot

Despite being described as a seven-armed octopus, the creature actually has eight tentacles. It was given the name because males have one tentacle coiled in a sac under their right eye, which is used in egg fertilisation.

A larger portion of the deep-sea octopus, including its beak, was found at another part of the Forvie Nature Reserve.