Strange as it may seem, an animal with 7 tentacles was found in Washington state and puzzled scientists, most of whom identified it as an octopus that rarely appears in the region.

Ron Newberry, a resident of Whidbey Island which is approximately 30 miles south of Seattle and an employee of a nature conservation organization, examined the creature on August 29 and described it as “a red balloon,” he told LiveScience for an article which was published this week. 

Newberry determined that the animal, approximately three feet long, was dead and took some photos of it that he later shared on the social media accounts like the one for Whidbey Camano Land Trust.

However, opinions in the scientific community were divided regarding the specimen’s species. Among the guessed versions of the specialists were the vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis) and the Dumbo octopus (Grimpoteuthis). Ultimately, most experts agreed that it was a seven-armed octopus (Haliphron atlanticus).

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This sea creature washed up at Ebey’s Landing this morning. Quite possibly an East Pacific red octopus. Easily 3 feet long. Update: Got a call from a representative of the Seattle Aquarium who believes the creature could be a vampire squid, which are normally found in extreme deep sea conditions. New update: It’s too big to be a vampire squid, said Bob Kiel of the Seattle Aquarium. He said it might be a dumbo octopus, another deep sea dweller that gets as large as 5 feet. #whidbeyisland #ebeyslanding #whidbeycamanolandtrust #coupeville #landtrust #nature #marinelife #octopus #salishsea #vampiresquid #squid #dumbooctopus

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Written by Cesar Moya