Researchers recently captured footage of a ‘googly-eyed’ stubby squid off the coast of California.
The footage was taken by the Nautilus Live expedition, which was exploring the ocean floor with an operated vehicle called Hercules at a depth of 2,950 feet, the group said on YouTube.
According to Nautilus Live researchers, the squid looks like a cross between an octopus and a squid, but is actually most closely related to the cuttlefish.
“This species spends life on the seafloor, activating a sticky mucus jacket and burrowing into the sediment to camouflage, leaving their eyes poking out to spot prey like shrimp and small fish,” the researchers said in a statement.
The group posted the video, which has been viewed over 300,000 times, on YouTube last week.
In the clip, researchers exclaim as they come closer to the stubby squid.
“It looks so fake,” one of the researchers says. “It looks like some little kid dropped their toy.”
The Nautilus is livestreaming 24-hour footage from the ship and of deep-water ocean dives.
Meet the stubby squid, our latest deep sea denizen. Watch live as we explore off Big Sur: https://t.co/Ajj54YYX2Q pic.twitter.com/PkcMldNXwB
— E/V Nautilus (@EVNautilus) August 16, 2016
You can watch the livestream here.
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