The octopus isn’t an animal that people often associate with cuteness.

But that could be about to change thanks to a tiny, pink cephalopod so appealing that scientists are considering naming it “adorabilis”.

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The doe-eyed, umbrella-shaped creature, which steers itself with small, wing-like fins on either side of its head, lives in the deep ocean.

Post doctoral researcher Stephanie Bush, of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, is tasked with classifying the presently-undescribed mollusc.

“As someone who is describing the species you get to pick what the specific name is,” she told Science Friday.

“One of the thoughts I had was making it Opistoteuthis Adorabilis, because they’re just, yeah, really cute.”