Strange Transparent Squid Filmed in Ocean Deep
October 12, 2017—A cockatoo squid recently captured the attention of the crew of the scientific research ship E/V Nautilus. Found in deep waters, it’s not just its habitat that makes a cockatoo squid tough to spot. Most of the animal’s body is transparent. You can make out a few internal organs, including a rod-shaped digestive gland that stays vertical as the squid moves around, minimizing its visibility from above or below. The creature’s most obvious feature is the one for which it’s named: the arms, arranged in a plume-like crest on its head. Like many cephalopods, cockatoo squid can change colors. In this case, that can include spots that seem to appear out of nowhere on its mantle.