Ever get the feeling you’re being watched? Eerie image shows squid stalking deep-sea vehicle as it explores the deep sea
- The NOAA shared an image of a deep sea squid following its underwater rover
- The squid can be seen lurking above the vessel, Deep Discoverer
- The image was shot during NOAA’s operational Okeanos Explorer mission
Experts exploring the depths of the sea were actually the ones being investigated.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shared an image of its remotely operated vehicle, Deep Discoverer, as it is being watched by a giant squid.
The squid can be seen ‘lurking’ and ‘creeping’ above the vehicle while it explores the face of steep slope.
The discovery was made during the operational mission of Okeanos Explorer, which is mapping areas of the ‘unknown and poorly understood deepwater areas of the Southeastern U.S. continental margin’.
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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shared an image of its remotely operated vehicle, Deep Discoverer, as it is being watched by a giant squid. The squid can be seen ‘lurking’ and ‘creeping’ above the vehicle while it explores the face of steep slope
‘Check out this lurking deep-sea squid, seen creeping above remotely operated vehicle Deep Discoverer (D2) as the vehicle explores the face of a scarp feature during Windows to the Deep 2019, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration wrote in their Facebook post.
‘Ever get the feeling you’re being watched?!’ ‘Good thing D2 has Seirios standing guard.’
Seirios is the ‘camera’s sled’ that is tethered to the ship so it will not be washed away by the underwater current.
The remotely operated vehicle is capable of diving to depths of 3.7 miles and provides scientist with ‘unprecedented access to the deep ocean, NOAA shared on its website.
Themain capability of Deep Discoverer is the ability to capture high-definition video and photos, such as the trailing squid, with the vehicle’s primary camera able to zoom in on a three-inch long organism from 10 feet away.
And its 20 LED lights provide 150,000 lumens of light, illuminating the otherwise dark depths of the ocean.
The majestic creature, which is around one to two meters long, is called Taningia Danae or whiplash squid
The Okeanos Explorer mission runs from October 31 through November 21.
The NOAA and partners will conduct mapping and remotely operated vehicle operations from NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer to collect critical baseline information about unknown and poorly understood deepwater areas of the Southeastern U.S. continental margin, along the coasts of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina.
The expedition began in Miami, Florida, and end in Key West, Florida.
In 2015, Deep Discoverer had another magical moment with a different deep sea squid.
The majestic sea creature, which is around one to two meters long, is called ‘Taningia Danae’ or ‘whiplash squid.’
As it descended to the sea floor of the Pacific Ocean in Hawaii on September 19, 2015 a remotely operated underwater vehicle caught it on camera.
Showing off a bright hue of pink as it swam through the deep blue ocean, scientists said it can emit a bright light. This, they believe, is used to blind prey, measure distance or signal courtship.
Experts said that the sighting in September was a one in a million event as the whiplash squid is rarely seen alive.
