Creature with giant eggs filmed thousands of feet undersea
The 关键字2deep sea teems with life. But in the black depths, these organisms remain largely mysterious.
Squids in the deep ocean are rarely observed alive, but scientists on an exploration mission used a deep-sea robot to capture footage of a squid clutching a brood of unusually large eggs — twice the size of typical squid eggs. The new research, aptly titled "Giant eggs in a deep-sea squid," concludes it's an unknown species.
"Our unexpected encounter with a squid brooding giant eggs caught the attention of everyone in the ship’s control room," Steven Haddock, a senior scientist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute and an author of the new research, said in a statement. "This remarkable sighting underscores the diversity of ways that animals adapt to the unique challenges of living in the deep."
You May Also Like
SEE ALSO: Giant squid footage shows they're not terrible monsters, after all
The eggs you see in the footage below, numbering 30 to 40, are about half an inch across. That's much bigger than most fish and squid eggs, and why biologists called them relatively "giant." Often, related Gonatus squids brood up to 3,000 eggs at a time, explained the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, which uses remote controlled vehicles (ROVs) to explore the deep sea. In ocean regions with lots of predators or limited nutrients, unleashing hundreds or thousands of offspring boosts the odds of a few survivors.
But it makes sense for some species to carry large eggs. "Giant eggs may be more beneficial in the more stable and predictable conditions found in the deep sea, allowing for higher investment in fewer offspring that have a better chance of survival," the institute wrote.
Related Stories
- A dominant shark lurks in the deep, dark ocean. Meet the sixgill.
- A powerful megalodon thrashed an ancient whale, scientists find
- Why the U.S. will get a whole lotta sea level rise
- Amazing creature found 27,000 feet under the sea. Here's how it survives.
- Scientists discover ancient shark swimming in a really strange place

The above footage is from 2015, but the biologists just completed a meticulous review of deep-sea squid ROV footage from different expeditions in an attempt to identify the species. The creature, seen at some 8,419 feet (2566 meters) below the surface in Mexico’s Gulf of California, is indeed new to science.
Aboard a small number of high-tech research vessels around the globe, organizations are now vigilantly documenting and mapping the deep sea. Scientists want to shine a light — literally and figuratively — on what's down there. The implications of knowing are incalculable, particularly as deep-sea mineral prospectors prepare to run tank-like industrial equipment across parts of the seafloor. For example, research expeditions have found that ocean life carries great potential for novel medicines. "Systematic searches for new drugs have shown that marine invertebrates produce more antibiotic, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory substances than any group of terrestrial organisms," notes the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
(责任编辑:我就是富豪)
- ·中国原研抗癌新药走出国门 用于治疗淋巴瘤
- ·11 Tech Products That Were Supposed to Fail... But Didn't
- ·Call of Duty®: Warzone™ Mobile Limited Release FAQ
- ·Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® II: The Next
- ·五分钟做巨好吃的素肉干:手撕香菇根
- ·合理利用智能垃圾分类设备倡导垃圾分类
- ·多商讨有利于我们的成长
- ·暗喻幻想全部阿基态怎么解锁 暗喻幻想所有阿基态解锁条件一览
- ·Bị lừa 7 tỉ vì đăng ký giao lưu quốc tế: Sinh viên thiếu kỹ năng sống
- ·精选双色球专家:海无量擒1等912万 9人中12万