Fascinating shots from the sea:
Researchers captured an incredibly rare moment during a deep sea dive.
They observed a deep-sea squid holding hundreds of eggs in its arms.
Exploring the sea off Monterey Bay, researchers have come across only the second time a female squid has eggs in her arms.
The mother squid was sighted at a depth of almost 1400 meters more than 90 kilometers off the coast of California.
Most squid reproduce by depositing egg shells on the sea floor or by releasing eggs in a gel-like mass that floats in the open sea.
Female squid lay 120,000 to 400,000 eggs that are contiguous.
This then hatches the baby squid, which are not always safe in the sea.
Scientists at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute assume that the observed mother squid carries her eggs until they hatch.
This improves the chances of their babies surviving.
“Exploring the deep sea is challenging, and we only get brief glimpses of the behavior of deep-sea animals.” Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute studies the largest habitat on earth and has now recorded thousands of hours of underwater video.
The use of remote-controlled vehicles has allowed scientists to explore a whole new world in the darkness of the sea – and for the first time to capture a female squid with eggs.
The new footage was captured during a dive with the ROV Doc Ricketts equipped with 4K cameras.