Flapjack & Dumbo Octopodes

Animals are cute to humans in many circumstances because of interactions with them over tens of thousands of years of evolution. Sometimes their sweetness is completely accidental. This is true of a species of Flapjack octopus that is, of all things, cute. The species was found in 2015, and it resembles a Pac-Man ghost. They are brilliant pink in color, with stubby tentacles and huge eyes. They are abyssal organisms, which means they developed to thrive in the deep water on the ocean floor, thus their attractiveness has nothing to do with human admiration, though it is a nice bonus.

While they are not the only species of Flapjack octopus in the ocean, their scientific name, Opisthoteuthis adorable, seems appropriate. Flapjack octopuses aren't the only octopus species that people think are cute. The so-called Dumbo octopus has comparable characteristics, but it has enormous flaps that resemble the Disney character's big ears.