Glass Squid: July 15, 2023

 

Amazing footage of a glass squid, Taonius borealis, seen at a depth of 700 meters (2,300 feet) during the first dive of the Seascape Alaska 3 expedition. The red organ in the center of the squid is its digestive gland, flanked on either side by two white, crescent-shaped organs that are the squid’s gills. Also visible below each eye are photophores, which are light-producing organs. The eye movements shown in the video are thought to be the squid blinking. This is a fairly common squid in these waters, but the close-up imagery captured here was anything but!

 

Download SD version (mp4, 17.3 MB).

Download HD version (mp4, 32.2 MB).

Video courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, Seascape Alaska.

 


 

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2023 Seascape Alaska Expeditions

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Life in the Water Column