The dark ocean depths are not exactly welcoming to terrestrial creatures.
In addition to the lack of light to see and air to breathe, the weight of all the water above creates crushing pressure.
But this part of the world without light is
full of life of its own
;
life that has evolved to thrive in these conditions, life that is unlike anything you can find on drier coasts, explains
Science Alert
.
It is a unique species that was seen for the first time (Video capture).
Much of this life, for much of human history, has been inaccessible.
He's been down there in the dark, doing his thing.
But the relatively recent invention of
remotely operated underwater vehicles
, or ROVs, is finally opening our eyes to this dark, strange, silent world.
A unique squid
In October 2019, scientists at the Schmidt Ocean Institute aboard the research vessel Falkor encountered such a creature while piloting the ROV SuBastian:
an otherworldly squid
, rarely seen by human eyes,
Science Alert
reports .
This genus lives in the lower mesopelagic and bathypelagic depths of the ocean,
up to 4,000 meters deep
, almost completely out of reach of the sun's rays.
The Planctoteuthis captured in the rare images (now resurfaced by the institute for
its second anniversary
) looks very little like what you'd expect a squid to look like,
Science Alert
reports .
It has a long, ornate tail
with many appendages;
On the contrary, his arms seem quite small.
In this individual, the tail is decorated with long blue streamers and cells called iridophores that
glow
when the squid moves through the water.
Phosphorescent and luminescent, it is of unique beauty (Video capture).
These iridophores are very thin stacks of cells that can reflect light at different wavelengths.
Here,
they shine gold
, reflecting the light shining in the ROV's headlights.
In the dim conditions in which squid typically live, these cells can take advantage of the little light available to blink and flash, although
the purpose of this
is unknown .
It could be to attract prey, scare away predators, or communicate with other squid, or perhaps a combination.
many mysteries
This small, delicate genus of squid is known largely from samples taken from the depths and damaged in the process.
We've only seen Planctoteuthis alive in its natural habitat very rarely, so there's a lot we don't know,
Science Alert
reports .
For example, scientists have found characteristics in the samples that are usually only seen in juvenile squid.
This suggests that the genus could be neotenic or
slow to mature
.
We also don't know the reason for the long and elaborate queues.
However, when a creature does not look like its species, it is very likely that it looks like something else.
This is called mimicry, and in the animal kingdom it often confers an advantage in avoiding predators,
Science Alert
reports .
This specific Planctoteuthis is thought to resemble a siphonophore, a composite animal that possesses stinging cells and
emits light to attract prey.
It emits light to attract its prey (Video capture).
Planctoteuthis could be hijacking the appearance of a siphonophore to try to attract similar prey, but also to repel predators that would normally be worried about being stung by a siphonophore,
Science Alert
reports .
As we continue to dive deeper into the ocean, we can only learn more about these mysterious squid.
Each expedition brings rare sightings that tell us a little more about this
disturbing, beautiful and mysterious world.
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GML