Scientists discover a giant, radiant squid
Scientists have unearthed a new, red, 28 inches long, light producing squid from the Southern Indian Ocean which inhabit the undersea mountains.
Researchers have discovered this new squid species belonging to the Chiroteuthid family after analyzing around 7, 000 species of marine animals. Squids in Chiroteuthid family are long and slender with bioluminescence ability. But, this one is longer than the rest of the family. "It's thought that this particular group of squid actually uses bioluminescence to lure in prey," said Alex Rogers, a conservation biologist at the University of Oxford in the U.K.
This study was a part a 6- week long research which has analyzed more than 70 squids from around the world. "In a single expedition, we sampled about a fifth of the entire world's squid species that are known to date," Rogers said. "That's really a staggering diversity of squid to sample in a single trip."
It is for the first time a single research has yielded this huge variety of marine animals. Scientists have found more than 100 varieties of new marine animals through this research and giant squid is one among them. "We got a tremendous variety of ... animals, including over 200 fish species and a large collection of crustaceans as well."
But, this squid with its huge size, bright color and light producing ability has caught the eyes of various researchers around the world. "We think we have more than one new species of squid," Rogers said. "This just happens to be the biggest and most glamorous one."
This research, conducted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), was aimed at understanding marine life in and around an undersea mountain. There are more than hundred thousand sea mountains in the world.
These mountains are always thriving with marine life because it blocks food particles and planktons in the water and help the squids and other marine animals enough food to feed on.