[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq2E2D-y11g&fmt=18[/youtube]
Since the whole world of football (soccer) is particularly thrilled with cephalopods right now, it seems like a perfect time to share with you the video above from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), a self-titled anthology of deep sea squids. The extra clear video clearly portrays many of these deep see -teuthis and how differently they appear underwater. Particulalry noteworthy is the footage of the piglet squid, an unusual species which swims “upside down” with it’s tentacles positioned over it’s head. In fact, you’ll notice that the main difference in appearance between these squids is how they position themselves in the water column and the posture of their arms/tentacles. Although we may not yet have access to these deep sea animals as aquarium subjects, perhaps one day our resident ceph-head Rich Ross of the California Academy of Sciences will get a crack at keeping one of these at the Steinhart. The type of squids featured in the video in order of apperance: Black-eyed Squid (Gonatus), Humboldt Squid (Doscidicus gigas), Swordtail Squid (Chiroteuthis), Market Squid (Doryteuthis opalescens), Cockatoo Squid (Galiteuthis), Swordtail Squid (Chiroteuthis), Octopus Squid (Octopoteuthis), Piglet Squid (Heliocranchia), Swordtail Squid (Chiroteuthis).
