Dancing deep-sea squid

Octopoteuthis, which literally means "octopus squid" is so-called because the adults have eight arms and no tentacles. There are several noteworthy observations in this remarkable video taken by ORCA co-founder Dr. Edie Widder, who filmed the squid using a hand held video camera from the sphere of the Johnson-Sea-Link submersible. Note the transition from a motionless, horizontal pose with arms spread out, to an oblique posture with fins flapping and arms curved back over the mantle. Large bioluminescent light organs are visible at the tips of several of the arms. These are usually missing in captured specimens, apparently because the squid can shed its flashing arm tips to distract a predator. Also note what appear to be matching semicircular bite marks on both fins.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Ocean
• Exploration
• Deep
• Sea
• Squid
• Bioluminescence

[FallingFreshly]

looks like an owl with dreadlocks

[simplyMASV]

stop. hammer time.

[Scythemantis]

@as05ca this is an entirely different species and group, and looks different in nearly every way :p

[HeadBangTheory]

Can someone please tell me what's the title of the background song?

[Dilliboy63]

deep sea critters are pretty much aliens...

[cRAVEmusic]

I thought the SAME THING falling.

[as05ca]

it is called the

vampire squid from hell

search it up

[gburton]

HAHAHA IT RULZ

[snager80]

it's so CUTE!

[jamiearid]

amazing