Deep-sea scientists were amazed by the rare sight of a mother squid carrying her eggs through the ocean, putting herself at risk to protect her offspring.
The Schmidt Ocean Institute’s underwater robot captured the extraordinary video in autumn 2024 while exploring the seafloor off the coast of Chile.
Most squid lay their eggs on the seafloor and don’t provide any parental care. The black-eyed squid (Gonatus onyx) is one of the few species that brood their eggs.
“A female Gonatus onyx will carry her large egg mass for months, keeping it suspended from hooks on the squid’s arms,” says Schmidt Ocean Institute on LinkedIn. “It is a dangerous time… brooding squid cannot move very quickly, and may be easy prey for deep-diving marine mammals.”
There are up to 3,000 eggs in this cluster. The incubation time could be around six to nine months and the expectant mother will keep pumping water over her eggs the entire time to make sure they have a good oxygen supply. This movement also helps the more mature hatchlings break free off their eggs when they’re ready to swim off independently.
“After laying the eggs she will go without feeding, and by the time they hatch, she will be close to death,” says the Institute.
Image and video credit: Schmidt Ocean Institute
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