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2 clusters · 4 sources · 5 days · First seen · Last updated

Bigfin squid sighting in northeast Pacific

Overview

Researchers from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) recorded the first sighting of a bigfin squid (Magnapinna) in the northeast Pacific Ocean. The encounter took place on August 7 during an expedition aboard the vessel David Packard near the Davidson Seamount, approximately 130km southwest of Monterey, California.

Using a remotely operated vehicle at a depth of approximately 3,277 meters, the team observed the creature, estimated to be 1.25 meters long, hovering near the seafloor. The squid was noted for its distinctive large fins, pale appendages, and trailing tentacles. The sighting was incidental to a primary mission conducted in collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to study seamounts and investigate seafloor furrows.

The bigfin squid is considered exceptionally rare, with only about 70 recorded observations or collections globally.

Entities

Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute · David Packard · Davidson Seamount · Andrew DeVogelaere · National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Timeline

  1. 2 days ago

    [CULTURE] 2 sources
    Bigfin squid filmed for the first time off California coast

    A rare bigfin squid (Magnapinna sp) has been filmed for the first time in the northeastern Pacific, spotted at a depth of over 3,000 meters off the coast of California.

  2. 6 days ago

    [CULTURE] 2 sources
    Bigfin squid spotted for first time in northeast Pacific

    The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute captured the first sighting of a bigfin squid in the northeast Pacific Ocean during a deep-sea expedition off the California coast.

Sources

independent.co.uk · latimes.com · livescience.com · offthepress.com