Deep-Sea Octopus Named "Mollusk of the Year 2025"
A deep-sea octopus, Muusoctopus, has been named the "International Mollusk of the Year 2025" following a public online poll. The species received the majority of over 4,000 votes cast.
The deep-sea octopus genus Muusoctopus has been awarded the title "International Mollusk of the Year 2025" in a public online poll organized by the Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment and Unitas Malacologica. Muusoctopus garnered over 1,300 votes, surpassing other finalists including various sea snails and a clam.
Muusoctopus species inhabit the icy depths of the ocean. Unlike their shallow-water relatives, they lack an ink bladder, an adaptation to the lightless deep sea where predators are scarce. The nomination came from marine biologist Fiorella Vásquez-Fallas of the University of Costa Rica, who highlighted the species' remarkable reproductive behaviors near deep-sea hydrothermal vents.
As part of winning the title, the genome of Muusoctopus will be fully sequenced for the first time at the Senckenberg Research Institute in Frankfurt. Researchers aim to understand the genetic basis for the octopus's unique lifestyle and its adaptation to extreme deep-sea conditions, addressing a gap in genomic data for mollusk species.
Over 4,000 mollusk enthusiasts participated in the poll. Muusoctopus secured roughly one-third of the votes, with the sea slug Glaucus atlanticus coming in second. The campaign, now in its fifth year, seeks to raise public awareness for diverse and often underestimated mollusk species and to promote their conservation.