Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Contact    |    RSS icon Twitter icon Facebook icon  
Unexplained Mysteries
You are viewing: Home > News > Nature & Environment > News story
Welcome Guest ( Login or Register )  
All ▾
Search Submit

Nature & Environment

Deep-sea squid 'talk' in the dark by glowing

By T.K. Randall
April 6, 2020 · Comment icon 0 comments

There is still much we don't know about the Humboldt squid. Image Credit: NOAA / MBARI 2006
The Humboldt squid has evolved a novel solution to the problem of communicating in the depths of the ocean.
Found up to 2,300ft beneath the surface of the eastern Pacific Ocean, the Humboldt squid can grow up to 1.5 meters in length and typically travels in large groups of up to 1,200 individuals.

One of their most fascinating traits is their ability to produce dazzling bioluminescent displays using special pigment cells called chromatophores.

Such displays serve as a means of communication between individuals, however it has long remained unclear exactly how the squid are able to see each other in the darkness at such depths.

Now a new study by Ben Burford of Stanford University and Bruce Robison of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute has shed new light on the mystery by showing that the squid have special bioluminescent light organs called photophores that effectively serve as a backlight.
"Humboldt squids have small aggregations of luminescent tissue - little dots sprinkled throughout their muscles," said Burford. "Instead of projecting light outwards, what these photophores do is radiate light within the body tissue. They make the whole animal glow."

By using a remote-operated vehicle to study the squid in their natural habitat, the researchers found that the cephalopods used their own bioluminescent 'language', is it were, to communicate.

One example of this - a distinctive 'flickering' - could be seen while the squid hunted down prey.

"It's like turn signaling in traffic," said Burford. "Driving is dangerous, being a Humboldt squid in a group is dangerous and you've got to signal to tell people what you're going to do and that they shouldn't mess with you while you're doing it."



Source: Smithsonian Magazine | Comments (0)




Our new book is out now!
Book cover

The Unexplained Mysteries
Book of Weird News

 AVAILABLE NOW 

Take a walk on the weird side with this compilation of some of the weirdest stories ever to grace the pages of a newspaper.

Click here to learn more

We need your help!
Patreon logo

Support us on Patreon

 BONUS CONTENT 

For less than the cost of a cup of coffee, you can gain access to a wide range of exclusive perks including our popular 'Lost Ghost Stories' series.

Click here to learn more

Recent news and articles