Gaze Into This Strawberry Squid's Eerie Mismatched Eyes
Meet "one of the most remarkable residents of the ocean's twilight zone."
Here's your moment of wonder for the day. Last week, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute shared an eye-popping (I use that phrase very purposefully) video of a strawberry squid floating in the ocean. Squid vids are always a delight, but this particular squid is noteworthy for its wild eyes.
MBARI called the squid "one of the most remarkable residents of the ocean's twilight zone." Remote-operated vehicle Doc Ricketts (named for marine biologist Ed Ricketts) spotted the sultry squid, which is also known by its scientific name of Histioteuthis heteropsis.
The "strawberry" part of the moniker is obvious. It's a very red squid. While it's a gorgeous color, be sure to pay special attention to its wildly mismatched eyes. One is quite big, the other quite small. The eyes are all about helping the squid find food.
"The big left eye looks upward to spot shadows cast by prey in the dimly lit waters above," MBARI explained. That's the eye that looks bulging and yellow-green. "The squid's right eye is small and looks downward. This eye searches for flashes of bioluminescence produced by prey or predators lurking in the darker waters below," the organization said.
The explorers found the stunning cephalopod at a depth of 2,378 feet (725 meters) in Monterey Canyon -- a place MBARI has referred to as "a Grand Canyon beneath the waves" -- off the US West Coast.
Once you've spent some time staring deeply into the strawberry squid's remarkable eyes, you will understand where it got its other nickname: cockeyed squid.