A Caribbean reef octopus has been pictured guarding its eggs in its den in a close up underwater shot off the east coast of Florida.
The species, known as octopus briareus, has distinctive blue and green skin but can change their colour due to specialised cells in their skin.
The octopus was caught by hobby photographer Steven Kovacs during a blackwater dive in Riviera Beach.
The 53-year old-said: "Some of these animals have taken years and years and hundreds of dives to finally see since they are so rare and elusive.
"It is a treasure hunt out in the open ocean where these animal are not only small but also very few and far between."
Mr Kovacs, who is from the area and works as a dentist, added: "In blackwater diving, often the difficulty is not the photography but actually being able to find the animal drifting out in the open ocean."
Larvae and crustaceans migrate towards the more nutrient rich surface to feed during the night and then descend again during the daylight hours.
