AUGUST 16, 2016
by Brett Smith
Researchers combing the bottom of
the sea off the coast of California recently stumbled upon a creature that
looked like it came straight out of a Super Nintendo video game.
As seen on a video posted to
YouTube by the research vessel E/V Nautilus, researchers happened upon a
squid-like creature with “googly” eyes that looked almost cartoonish.
The study team was using an
underwater drone to examine the sea floor and upon the unique-looking creature
from a distance, the scientists can be heard in the video trying to figure out
if it was an octopus or cuttlefish, a type of cephalopod.
When the team sent in the drone
for a closer look, their attention shifted to the creature’s captivating eyes.
“They look like googly eyes … It
looks so fake!” a female-sounding voice can be heard saying. “It’s like some
little kid dropped their toy.”
The strange and interesting
Stubby Squid
According to a description of the
video, the researchers established that the creature was a Stubby squid, also
known as Rossia pacifica.
“This species spends life on the
seafloor, activating a sticky mucus jacket and burrowing into the sediment to
camouflage, leaving their eyes poking out to spot prey like shrimp and small
fish,” the E/V Nautilus description said.
Stubby squid inhabit the Northern
Pacific and are typically seen at a depth of close to 1000 feet, though
sightings have happened much lower, the E/V team said. The specimen seen in the
video, for instance, was situated almost 3000 feet below the ocean.
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