Animals, features and articles | Educational Science

Feb 10, 2011

This Pheromone Puts Squid in the Mood — To Fight

A newfound chemical drives male squid berserk, and the molecule appears similar to ones seen in humans, scientists now say. Future research might investigate whether comparable human semen proteins have similar effects, investigators added. Scientists investigated the longfin squid (Loligo pealeii), which live for nine to 12 months, usually mating...

Aug 9, 2011

Small Squid Have Bigger Sperm, But It's Not to Compensate

Among one species of squid, large males produce small sperm, meanwhile, small male squid have bigger swimmers. The differing sperm sizes are most likely the result of the two distinct strategies these males employ to mate with females, according to researchers. Large male squid, of the species Loligo bleekeri, called...

Sep 26, 2012

Scientists Reveal Vampire Squid's Strange Eating Habits

(ISNS) -- The sinisterly named vampire squid dwells in water far too harsh for any of its relatives. Now scientists find it survives there by feeding on unliving matter instead of live prey, unlike any known living squid or octopus. The creature's scientific name Vampyroteuthis infernalis, which means vampire squid...

Oct 2, 2012

Gallery: Vampire squid from hell

Vampire of the Deep (Image credit: Kim Reisenbichler © 2005 MBARI)Vampyroteuthis infernalis, literally vampire squid from hell, is a mysterious deep-sea species. Research published in September 2012 in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B reveals that these strange animals fish for ocean detritus using a long filament appendage,...

Dec 11, 2012

Squidlike Creatures Turn Left to Avoid Predators

Smelling the scents of predators may help the cuttlefish brain prepare for quick escapes before it even hatches, new research finds. The study helps explain why these squidlike cephalopods (and perhaps other animals) show differences between the two sides of their brains and bodies — known as lateralization. Lateralization is...

Dec 14, 2012

Image Gallery: Humboldt Squid Stranding

Monterey (Image credit: arunkumud | Flickr.com)On October 9, Humboldt squid began washing ashore en masse along coastline in Monterey County, Calif. Mysterious Phenomenon (Image credit: Wardill, Gonzalez-Bellido, Crook & Hanlon, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences)Scientists had noticed such strandings in many squid species for decades, but why...

Jan 8, 2013

Mysterious Giant Squid Finally Caught on Film

The notoriously elusive giant squid has been filmed for possibly the first time in its natural habitat after a Moby Dick-style hunt for the deep-sea beast. A Japanese-led team filmed the silvery cephalopod last year off the Ogasawara Islands, about 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) south of Tokyo, according to news...

Mar 19, 2013

Release the Kraken! Giant Squid Photos

'It is a Whopper:' Giant Squid on Beach (Image credit: AP Photo/Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service, HO)In this photo released by Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service, a giant squid is seen after it washed up onto Ocean Beach in Strahan, Tasmania, Tuesday, July, 10. 2007. The squid, measuring 1 meter...

Mar 19, 2013

Giant Squid All One Big, Happy Family

Though they roam the deep sea around the globe, enigmatic giant squid are all part of the same species, new research finds. The new study reveals that the genetic diversity of giant squid (Architeuthis) is remarkably low — far lower than that of other marine species examined, said study researcher...

Mar 28, 2013

Jumbo Squid-Cam Uncovers Secrets of Elusive Creature

To see firsthand how an elusive species of jumbo squid lives, scientists have strapped video cameras to the carnivorous sea creature in the eastern Pacific. The footage has helped reveal some remarkable secrets of the Humboldt squid: They are capable of amazing bursts of speed, up to nearly 45 mph...

Jun 4, 2013

Seminal Study: Hungry Female Squid Snack on Sperm

Updated at 9:21 a.m. ET. Sometimes, gifts get put to surprising uses. And scientists have found possibly one of the wackiest: The female southern bottletail squid will eat packages of sperm that males passed to them to fertilize eggs. The study, published today (June 4) in the journal Biology Letters,...

Aug 27, 2013

Photos of the Stunning Deep-Sea Squid Feeding

Grimalditeuthis bonplandi (Image credit: © 2013 Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute)Grimalditeuthis bonplandi lives between 1,600 and 5,00 feet (500 and 1,500 meters) below the sea surface. Grimalditeuthis bonplandi , close-up (Image credit: © 2013 Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute)Researchers have previously only studied the squid based on dead, often mangled...

May 25, 2016

School-Bus-Size Giant Squid May Be Lurking Deep in the Sea

Steeped in mystery, the elusive, deep-sea-dwelling giant squid, with eyes the size of basketballs, may be larger than it has gotten credit for. In fact, the monster cephalopod may grow to be longer than a school bus, researchers say. Specimens recognizable as giant squid (Architeuthis dux) have been found washed...

Aug 16, 2016

Googly-Eyed Purple Squid Sighting Delights Scientists

A purple squid with eyes so googly it could easily be mistaken for a character in the movie Finding Nemo was recently spotted by scientists off the coast of Southern California. The so-called stubby squid (Rossia pacifica) is a species of bobtail squid native to the northern Pacific Ocean. These...

Sep 22, 2016

Creepy Cannibals: Squid Have No Qualms About Eating Their Own Kind

The deep-sea diving Gonatus squid has a hearty appetite, even when it comes to eating its own kind, a new study finds. The cannibalism finding came about during a 20-year study (1995–2015) in which marine researchers used a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to study and video-record the eating habits of...