![]() When we hook a Humboldt squid on a fishing line and try to reel it in, sometimes the other squids will start to eat it, following it all the way to surface.” “If one squid is weak or vulnerable, the others will often attack it. Such antagonistic displays may be particularly important for Humboldt squid because these animals are highly cannibalistic. Scientists have observed similar patterns in cuttlefish when two males are trying to intimidate one another. For example, a half-light/half-dark pattern that Humboldt squid often exhibit when feeding might be a warning: “Look out-I’m going to grab that lanternfish!”Ī Humboldt squid displays a “countershading” pattern on its body (dark on top, light underneath) 500 meters (1,640 feet) below the surface of Monterey Bay. On the other hand, the Humboldt squid exhibited specific color patterns on their bodies mostly when they were interacting with one another in groups.īased on the ROV observations, Burford and Robison suggest that color changes may be a way for the squids to communicate with one another. This suggests that the postures are specifically related to the process of hunting prey, rather than being a method of communicating with others of the same species. To provide context for the squid’s behavior, Burford identified whether each squid was swimming by itself, in a small group of squids, or in a large group, and whether or not a squid was in the process of feeding.Īlthough the squid often used standardized body postures and movements when they were feeding, these appeared whether or not the squids were in groups. For each squid, he recorded the animal’s movement and body positions as well as the changing color patterns on its body. Image: Courtesy of Ben Burford.īurford analyzed video from over two dozen ROV dives at depths of 266 to 838 meters (about 870 to 2,750 feet), identifying individual Humboldt squid and taking detailed notes on their behavior. These patterns were documented by scientists using video from remotely operated vehicles. This illustration shows some of the body patterns used by Humboldt squid in Monterey Bay. “My goal in this study was to figure out why they were doing these things, and to link these behaviors to an environmental context.” “I was fascinated by the idea that deep-sea squids have all these complex behaviors, even when they’re in deep water where there’s almost no light,” said Burford. Burford is currently a PhD student at Stanford University’s Hopkins Marine Station. The research was conducted using video from MBARI’s remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), and was documented in a new paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by MBARI Senior Scientist Bruce Robison and MBARI collaborator Ben Burford. The changes are visible even in the darkest depths of the ocean because the squids’ entire bodies glow in the dark, so the patterns are backlit like words on an e-reader screen. But new research suggests that, as they hunt, these squid communicate with each other using changing patterns of light and dark pigment on their skin. Humboldt squid are formidable predators, whose group foraging often resembles a feeding frenzy. Physical oceanography and climate changeĪ large group of Humboldt squid exhibit various color patterns on their bodies as they hunt small deep-sea fish about 500 meters (1,640 feet) below the surface of Monterey Bay.Bioluminescence: Living light in the deep sea. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |