While out near the Jarvis Seamount in the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, the ROV Hercules on the 2019 Kingman Reef Expedition captured the first-ever sighting of a Sinuous Asperoteuthis Mangoldae Squid. This particular chiroteuthid squid was only discovered in 1972.
Dr. Michael Vecchione, the NOAA cephalopod biologist who identified this feathery squid, marveled at the deep-sea creature’s movements.
Hovering above the seafloor, the Asperoteuthis mangoldae squid is a recently discovered deep-sea species that was just seen alive for the first time! Researchers think this unusual squid’s tail may help it mimic other animals, like a stinging siphonophore. For NOAA scientist Dr. Michael Vecchione who identified the squid, the next question about this little-known cephalopod is why changing its appearance would be important for survival in the almost lightless deep sea.
