A strange cephalopod lives in the depths of the ocean with eight arms and two tentacles. The great-finned squid (Magnapinna Squid – Bigfin Squid) can reach a length of 6 meters. This creature is rarely seen, and every time it does, we get a new chance to learn more about the mysterious animals.
The crew of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Okeanos Explorer research vessel was able to image some of the marvelous aquatic creatures, including the Magnapinna Squid, during the recently completed Windows to the Deep 2021 expedition.
NOAA researchers used a remotely operated vehicle to dive and survey the West Florida Escarpment in the Gulf of Mexico. The ROV spotted the squid on November 9, and NOAA tweeted a video compilation of the creature, with comments from happy scientists. Explorers described this creature as “cool”, “ghost fish” and “alien fish”.
NOAA Ship #Okeanos Explorer is safely docked in Port Canaveral, Florida, & our Windows to the Deep 2021 adventure is over. ICYMI, here’s video of the bigfin squid (Magnapinna sp. ) we encountered in Gulf of Mexico.
Read more about the discovery: https://t. co/0W9DTAXwWi pic. twitter. com/524WzdTY54
— NOAA Ocean Exploration (@oceanexplorer) November 15, 2021
NOAA said in a statement, “It is not known exactly how the great-finned squid uses its arms and tentacles,” he said. thinks they used it to catch prey that bumped into them as they drifted along.”
The Magnapinna Squid was first officially described only 20 years ago. As Cuttlefish expert Mike Vecchione explains in his video commentary, it was originally thought to be just one species, but it is now known that there are several different Magnapinna species. Vecchione was one of the first scientists to describe the squid.
This squid may be rare, but researchers are working hard to learn more about deep-ocean animals. A study published in 2020 detailed five views off the coast of Australia. Each new video is a small window into the world of the Magnapinna Squid. . .
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