Whereas most deep-sea squids possess eight short arms and two long tentacles, Magnapinna possess ten indistinguishable arms. The most intriguing physical feature of the squid is the arm morphology. They are propelled through the water by two large terminal fins that also allow the bigfin squid to hover perpendicular to the substrate in a vertical position. They also appear to be relatively large, reaching lengths of 7 meters.
Bigfin squid have been observed in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans as well as the Gulf the Mexico at depths between 1,940 – 4,735 meters. Their work suggests that Magnapinna enjoys a global distribution. American Association for the Advancement of Science. Worldwide observations of remarkable deep-sea squids. Summary of submersible big-fin squid encounters adapted from Vecchione, M., Young, R. Based on this video, along with observations from four other encounters recorded by deep-sea explorers since 1988, the pair were able to generate the first reports on adult Magnapinna bigfin squid in 2001. When first encountered, the approximately 4-5 meter long cephalopod was hovering perpendicular to the seafloor with its tentacles dangling along the substrate before it was startled by the vehicle and retreated into the water column. Later, in 2001, the duo got a major break when the ROV Tiburon operated by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) recorded 10 minutes of crisp video footage of a Magnapinna bigfin squid at a depth of around 3380 meters. In 1998, Vecchione and University of Hawaii biologist Richard Young became the first to formally document bigfin squid and laid the taxonomic foundation for their inclusion in the tree of life.
Vecchione is an authority on deep-sea cephalopods and was able to identify the squid as a member of the genus Magnapinna (Family: Magnapinnadae) – a bigfin squid. The video made the rounds through oil-industry email inboxes until it made its way to Michael Vecchione of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.
#Magnapinna squids movie#
“ It looked like one of the aliens from the movie Independence Day,” stated Shell Senior Operations Coordinator Patrick Desrouleaux when he first saw the images. Hovering near the oil well, perpendicular to the ground, was a large squid with 10 articulated arms terminating in long, dangly tentacles.
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