Scientists discover giant underwater MOUNTAIN 4 times height of Burj Khalifa roamed by ‘ghost octopuses & zombie squid’

A RARE octopus and freaky squid were discovered at a huge underwater mountain taller than the world's tallest tower.

The Nazca Ridge, off the South American coast, is a staggering 13,000ft below sea level - around four times the height of Dubai's Burj Khalifa.

The Nazca Ridge is located off the South American coast
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The Nazca Ridge is located off the South American coastCredit: ROV SuBastian/Schmidt Ocean Institute
Researchers found the Casper octopus species - colloquially named after the ghoul
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Researchers found the Casper octopus species - colloquially named after the ghoulCredit: ROV SuBastian/Schmidt Ocean Institute
The team were the first to capture the rare flying spaghetti monster on film
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The team were the first to capture the rare flying spaghetti monster on filmCredit: ROV SuBastian/Schmidt Ocean Institute
The creepy Promachoteuthis squid or zombie squid found underwater
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The creepy Promachoteuthis squid or zombie squid found underwaterCredit: ROV SuBastian/Schmidt Ocean Institute
The unsettling orange scorpion fish was also found by the Californian oceanographers
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The unsettling orange scorpion fish was also found by the Californian oceanographersCredit: ROV SuBastian/Schmidt Ocean Institute

The discovery was made by unsuspecting scientists who were mapping the seafloor of the seamount and found the bizarre marine biodiversity.

A team of Californian researchers used an underwater robot to identify several new marine species in the seamount, around 900 miles off Chile's coast.

These include the ghostly white Casper octopus species - named after the friendly ghoul.

In fact it is the first time the rare octopus has been sighted in the southeastern Pacific, reports CNN.

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Another unusual discovery in the international waters were flying spaghetti monsters - named after their string-like appearance.

But scientists also uncovered other species new to the area - 20 in total in this expedition alone.

A frightening Promachoteuthis squid - dubbed the zombie squid also roamed the seamount, as well as a deepsea starfish, scorpion fish and more.

The oceanographers also took the first ever video of the small, weakly-muscled squid found 3,300 - 13,100ft deep into the sea.

Executive director of the Schmidt Ocean Institute Jyotika Virmani told ABC News her team found anemones, urchins, bubblegm coral reef, shrimp and even a squat lobster.

The mission was helped by the Falkor vessel during a 28 day expedition that was completed in August 2024.

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She said: "The Casper octopus has never been captured, so it doesn’t actually have a scientific name yet."

Virmani cited advances in modern technology as key to deep water exploration in the new seamount.

It's the team's third expedition to the Nazca Ridge but first time they've managed to uncover the uncommon marine life.

The new seamount may even become the world’s first high seas marine protected area under a new UN treaty.

Virmani continued: "Across the three expeditions I think we’ve got some good data as a community that could be put forward to make the case that this is a really interesting region for protection."

The first two expeditions took place in January and February of this year and catalogued a whopping 150 previous unknown species.

The experts also came across a deep sea starfish
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The experts also came across a deep sea starfishCredit: ROV SuBastian/Schmidt Ocean Institute
The Falkor vessel was deployed for this mission
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The Falkor vessel was deployed for this missionCredit: ROV SuBastian/Schmidt Ocean Institute
Bubblegum cora on the seamount
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Bubblegum cora on the seamountCredit: ROV SuBastian/Schmidt Ocean Institute