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The unusual squid, which might or might not be a new species, is missing tentacles and swims like a nautilusDescribed by our resident cephalopod expert as “probably the most bizarre squid I’ve ever seen.”
source/image: oceanexplorergov
We encountered this unusual squid while exploring an unnamed mound at a depth of ~850 meters (2,790 feet) during Dive 04 of the Gulf of Mexico 2018 expedition on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer.
Its arms were folded back in what may be a defensive posture, but to such an extreme degree, it had lost its squid-like appearance.
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Biologist Sarah McAnulty believes that the animal might be striking this pose in an attempt to collect debris from shallow waters, a food source also referred to as “marine snow.”
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