@mbari_news: It's the most wonderful time of the year! No, we're not there yet—it's Cephalopod Week!⁠ ⁠ Chiroteuthis calyx is also known as the swordtail squid because juveniles of the species have ornate tails as long as their bodies. Researchers believe that the shape and color of their tails allow juvenile swordtail squid to mimic the long floats and stinging tentacles of Nanomia siphonophores. The young squid enhance this mimicry by curving their bodies and tails in the shape of a siphonophore. But as swordtail squid grow older and larger, they apparently have less need for this deception. By the time they become subadults, they lose their tails and can no longer mimic Nanomia. ⁠ ⁠ As they grow toward adulthood, the squids develop long-feeding tentacles tipped with glowing lures (perhaps an example of a different type of mimicry). The adults hover motionless in the water column and use these lures to attract crustaceans or small fish, which they seize using their arms and feeding tentacles.⁠ #MBARI #DeepSea #DeepOcean #fyp #CephalopodWeek

MBARI

Open In TikTok:

Region: US

Saturday 15 June 2024 05:55:12 GMT