Scientists film deep-sea squid ‘turning into a tree’ 4 kilometres below the Pacific
The Times of India • • science
Key Points:
- Researchers have captured the first footage of an undescribed whiplash squid species exhibiting aggressive mimicry by camouflaging itself as part of the seafloor at a depth of 4.1 km in the Pacific Ocean's Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ).
- The squid mimics a tree-like appearance by inserting its head into the seabed mud and stiffening its arms vertically, blending seamlessly with sea sponges and stalks to ambush prey or avoid predators.
- The discovery, made using high-definition cameras on the remotely operated vehicle Isis during the SMARTEX expedition, challenges previous assumptions about biodiversity and survival strategies in deep-sea ecosystems.
- Scientists also identified evidence of another unknown squid species likely belonging to
