Connect To Sea – The deep sea is the largest living space on Earth, but many of the animals and habitats deep below the sea’s surface are still shrouded in mystery.
MBARI’s advanced underwater robots, including remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), help survey life in the ocean depths.
Gulf of California underwater expedition
In the new study, MBARI’s ROV Doc Ricketts details sightings of a mother squid with giant eggs during a 2015 Gulf of California expedition in Mexico.
Although MBARI researchers have previously seen deep sea squid incubating their eggs, this discovery is noteworthy because the eggs are twice as large as those of other incubating squid.
The team concluded that this specimen most likely belonged to a yet-to-be-identified species of the Gonatidae mposlot family that laid large eggs. However, the team still doesn’t know enough about squid living in deep waters, even though they are fierce predators and an important food source for many species.
Discovery of a deep sea squid with giant eggs
During 37 years of deep sea exploration, the MBARI ROV has recorded 17 observations of incubating squid.
However, squid observed in the Gulf of California caught the attention of researchers. Deep sea squid eggs in the Gulf of California have a diameter of around 11.6 millimeters, quoted from physorg .
In the more stable and predictable environment of the deep sea, giant eggs may be more profitable because they allow greater investment in fewer offspring with a higher chance of survival.
Additionally, compared to other Gonatus squid, squid in the Gulf of California produce far fewer eggs. According to researchers, it is thought to carry Situs Toto between 30 and 40 eggs, but the Gonatus squid is known to incubate up to 3,000 eggs at a time.
The deep sea is the largest living space on Earth, but many of the animals and habitats deep below the ocean’s surface are still shrouded in mystery. MBARI’s advanced underwater robots, including remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), help survey life in the ocean depths.
