The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association’s (NOAA) Deep Discoverer submarine has captured a video of the extremely elusive Dana octopus squid (Taningia danae). The video shows the squid appear to grab onto the bar of the submersible. The behavior occurred in the deep ocean waters off Hawaii on September 19, 2015.
The video clip is a product of NOAA’s Hohonu Moana Expedition, which looked at the deep-sea ecosystem of Hawaii from July 10 to September 30 this year, Live Science reported.
Relatively little is known about these squid, although they’re believed to be somewhere under 2.1 meters (7 feet) in length. Like many deep-sea creatures, this species has bioluminescent capabilities, specifically on the tips of its arms. In one of the other rare times this squid has been caught on camera, scientists said it appeared to use the light to illuminate and stun its prey, although the researchers admit that they can't say for sure.
[H/T: Live Science]
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