Last year we got a look at a squid that looked like a cross between a Pokemon and a PacMan ghost. Now we have this adorable little bugger
Is it a new Pokemon? Mr Snuffleupagus from Sesame Street? Or perhaps the new mascot for the Dockers?
You could be forgiven for thinking this unusual sea creature is something out of this world, but it’s actually a very rare natural sight captured by scientists exploring the ocean floor off California.
Known as a Rossia pacifica or stubby squid, this amazing cephalopod was spotted 900 metres below the surface by the research vessel EV Nautilus, which is supported by The Ocean Exploration Trust founded by Dr Robert Ballard, who located the wreck of the Titanic in 1985.
This discovery is on a much smaller scale though: stubby squid grow to a maximum length of just 11cm, spending their lives on the sea floor using those big eyes to spot predators and prey on shrimp and small fish. Stubby squid inhabit areas of the Northern Pacific from Japan to southern California and like to bury themselves in the sea floor for protection, leaving only their eyes poking out.
They aren’t usually spotted as purple, though.
Me! *waves arms frantically! Me!
I want a googly-eyed purple squid!
Preferably a whole bunch of them!
Thanks for the smile at lunchtime 🙂
Very cute.
It sounds like a bunch of goofy teenagers doing the research. I wonder what Dr. Robert Ballard would say about his Trust being handed to the Pokemon Go generation.