PREVIEW

It was close encounters of the cute kind, when a deep sea research vessel came across an adorable Piglet Squid.

The research team aboard the E/V Nautilus were remotely exploring the waters near Palmyra Atoll this month (July), in the Pacific Ocean, when they spotted the creature at 1385m.

The Nautilus team, from non-profit organisation Ocean Exploration Trust, used an ROV (Remotely operated underwater vehicle) to enjoy a quick close-up with the see-through piglet squid (Helicocranchia sp.), which is named for its large siphon that looks like a snout.

They explained: “Able to regulate buoyancy with an ammonia-filled internal chamber, this stunning squid is often observed with its tentacles flared above its head.”

Expanding on the sighting at the remote coral atoll located 1000 miles south of Hawaii, the team said: “Squids, like other cephalopods, move using a structure called a siphon to pull and push the surrounding water like a jet pump. This cephalopod, Helicocranchia pfefferi aka the piglet squid, gained its name for the enlarged siphon that resembles a snout. Able to regulate buoyancy with an ammonia-filled internal chamber, this stunning squid is often observed with its tentacles flared above its head like a wild hairdo or as one team member called it - reindeer antlers."