A giant, colour-changing octopus has been spotted slithering across the sand of a popular beach in Byron Bay, a coastal hamlet in New South Wales.
The eight-legged deep-sea dweller was filmed sliding towards nearby rocks on Wategos Beach, located around two kilometres east of Byron Bay's town centre, by using its long tentacles to drag itself forward.
Sydney resident Jarrah Bailey, who captured the incredibly rare sight, told Nine News the experience was "really cool".
She said the creature had been changing colour to camouflage with its surroundings, mesmerising amazed onlookers.
"It was changing colour depending on whether it was underwater, or on the sand or the rocks," she told the outlet.
Bailey admitted she did not fully comprehend how rare the sighting was until her social media accounts were inundated with comments.
"This is just another day on [an] Australian beach," she said.
Several species of octopus are found in New South Wales. While some stay close to the water's surface, others inhabit deep, dark waters.
As Wategos Beach is a sanctuary zone in Cape Byron Marine Park, all animals and plants - including octopus - are protected.
