The dazzling blanket octopus is a rare sight indeed! This pelagic species lives in the open sea, and facts are few & far between. In 2002, the first live male was discovered. We now know that this species has one of the largest gender size discrepancies (sexual size dimorphism) in the animal kingdom. Females grow up to 6.5 ft (2 meters), and the males only grow an estimated 2.4 cm long!! Even more mind boggling - the male blanket octopus weighs 40,000 times less than the female. 😮 Incredible fo

#WATCH: A rare, rainbow-tinged octopus has been filmed on the Great Barrier Reef, in just the fourth sighting of the spectacular species around Lady Elliot Island. The female Blanket Octopus was spotted by Marine Biologist Jacinta Shackleton while snorkeling last week. "I kept yelling through my snorkel, 'it's a Blanket Octopus!' I was so excited I was finding it difficult to hold my breath to dive down and video it," said Shackleton. MORE: http://9Soci.al/XFMq50HtlMO #9News | Nightly at 6pm | 9

While snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef, Jacinta Shackleton Videography and Photography came across a blanket octopus! 🐙 This species of pelagic octopus is rarely encountered and will spend its entire lifecycle in the open ocean. The first live male was only sighted in 2002! 🔎🤿 | Science Channel