According to CNET, a strange cephalopod inhabits the depths of the ocean with 8 tentacles and two tentacles. The largefin squid can reach lengths of up to 19.7 feet (6 m). It is elusive, and every time you see it is an opportunity to learn about this mysterious animal. Crew members of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Okeanos Explorer research vessel spotted a number of miracles in the water — including the largefin squid — during the recently concluded 2021 Window of the Deep Ocean expedition.
NoAA researchers used remotely operated unmanned submersibles (ROVs) to dive to investigate the Cliffs of West Florida in the Gulf of Mexico. The ROV photographed the giant squid on Nov. 9, and NOAA posted a video compilation of the creature on Twitter on Monday, accompanied by comments from happy scientists. Explorers call it "cool," "ghostly," and "very strange."
"Exactly how the bigfin squid uses their tentacles and tentacles is unknown," NOAA said in a statement last week. "However, these appendages have miniature suction cups on them, and scientists believe that the squid are likely to use them to catch prey that hits them as they hang down in the water below their bodies or drag along the seafloor."
The largefin squid was first officially described about 20 years ago. As squid expert Mike Vecchione explains in the video commentary, it was originally thought to be only one species, but several different species of largefin squid (Magnapinna genus) are now known to exist. Vecchione was one of the scientists who first described this squid.
The squid may be rare, but researchers have been working hard to learn more about this deep-sea animal. A study published in 2020 detailed five sightings off the coast of Australia. Each new video is another small window into the world of the bigfin squid and an opportunity to appreciate the beauty of cephalopods.