The Nautilus captured a amazing footage off the coast of California earlier this week. The creature seems like a child toy, its disproportionately large eyes making it look like a Japanese manga hero.
But so you know, it is actually a Rossia Pacifica (stubby squid), which is pretty common in the northern Pacific Ocean
The stubby squid (Rossia pacifica) looks like a cross between an octopus and squid, but is more closely related to cuttlefish. This species spends life on the seafloor, activating a sticky mucus jacket and burrowing into the sediment to camouflage, leaving their eyes poking out to spot prey like shrimp and small fish. Rossia pacifica is found in the Northern Pacific from Japan to Southern California, most commonly seen up to 300m deep, but specimens have been collected at 1000m depth.
Cephalopods are superlative and sneaky assassins, using countless tricks to catch unsuspecting critters.
Sign up for our texting program when you’re here to catch these hunters in action in our Tentacles exhibit. Text the word “experience” to 56512 to find out when our exhibits are being fed!
