#rossia pacifica

Look at this cute little googly-eyed stubby squid, and enjoy the nerdy excitement of the scientists onboard the Nautilus. 

This little guy is a Rossia Pacifica and is a species of bobtail squid. This species inhabits the north Pacific, between Japan and Southern California. It usually rests on the seabed semi-buried in soft sediment during the day as it is nocturnal. At maturity, stubby squids grow to about 6cm long and live for only two years as both male and female die after mating. This one was spotted at 900m deep. 

The video was shot by a remotely-operated submersible by researchers aboard the E/V Nautilus, a vessel exploring areas of the ocean off the shore of California. The team uses remotely operated vehicles to film the ocean floor. They are the same guys who have previously stumbled on a very curious sperm whale a few months ago

Check out their YouTube account full of the cool encounters they witness during the expedition (seriously, do it. I’ve been sucked in for the past 2 hours)!