Nature & Environment

Remains of gargantuan octopus discovered on Scottish beach

By T.K. Randall
December 4, 2025 ·  9 comments

Image: Octopus at Kelly Tarlton's Sea Life Aquarium
Credit: Pseudopanax / (PD) The strangeness began when a member of the public came across what appeared to be the remains of a huge octopus at Forvie National Nature Reserve in Aberdeenshire.

The area, which covers over 2,471 acres of sand dunes and heath, is a popular refuge for wildlife.

"These were something we clearly hadn't seen before, with a large diameter and big suckers - far too big for the common curled octopus we see around the shore here," said reserve manager Catriona Reid.

When marine biologists examined the tentacles, it was determined that they belonged to one of the largest species of octopus on Earth - a deep-sea behemoth which grows up to four meters across.Such a discovery is particularly unusual along the coastline of Scotland.

"These are a deep water species - usually found below 1,640ft - so it's a puzzle how it came to be here," said Reid.

"Washed up by deep water currents? Trawled up by fishermen? We'll probably never know."

"But it's a fascinating find nonetheless and yet again serves to illustrate how little we know about deep-water creatures."



Source: BBC News | Comments (9)

Tags: Octopus, Scotland