MBARI researchers came across a female squid carrying huge eggs at depths of over 8,000 feet (2,400 meters) during an expedition in the Gulf of California. The squid belonged to an unidentified species in the Gonatidae family. (Image courtesy of MBARI)
Scientists have captured stunning video of a female deep-sea squid carrying unusually large eggs in her tentacles. Footage captured by the team using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) off the coast of Mexico shows that the female was carrying around 40 eggs, each about twice the size of previously encountered squid.
The new video provides additional insight into the life cycle of deep-sea squid. The creatures are rarely seen alive at great depths, and little is known about how they reproduce in dark, cold environments with limited oxygen and food.
“The deep waters are the largest ecosystem on our planet, and there are many unsolved mysteries,” said Steven Haddock, a senior scientist and expedition leader at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI). “Our unexpected encounter with a squid carrying huge eggs was a source of great excitement for the entire team on board.” The findings were published in the journal Ecology in May.
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It is especially rare to see a deep-sea squid brooding its eggs or guarding them after they have been laid. Most squid leave their eggs floating in the water or attach them to the sea floor, the statement said. Brooding eggs is an extremely grueling process for female squid, which often ends with the mothers dying after the eggs hatch, said Henk-Jan Hoving, a deep-sea biologist at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Germany and lead author of the paper.
Researchers encountered the brooding female squid in 2015 during an expedition to the Gulf of California to study creatures that live in extremely low-oxygen environments. When the scientists launched an ROV into the deep trench, they spotted the mother at a depth of about 8,418 feet (2,566 meters). The species of the squid has never been described, but it likely belongs to the Gonatidae family, which is common in the Pacific Ocean.
While video footage of squid brooding is rare, it is not unique. MBARI scientists first observed a female squid of the species Gonatus onyx (also of the family Gonatidae) brooding eggs in Monterey Bay in 2002. In 2005, they filmed a deep-sea squid (Bathyteuthis berryi) from another family brooding in the same geographic area. Over 37 years of research, MBARI scientists have observed 17 female squid brooding eggs.
A female deep-sea squid is carrying eggs that are twice the size of those previously discovered.
The mother squid they encountered in 2015 had far fewer eggs than the brooder squid in 2002, which brooded 3,000 small eggs. Having lots of small eggs can be beneficial when food is scarce and predators are plentiful.
Sourse: www.livescience.com
