Giant Squid Mom Spotted Carrying String of Eggs 4,500 Feet Below the Pacific Ocean Off the California Coast

A giant squid mom was seen carrying a string of eggs consisting of an unknown number of her unborn babies off the California Coast, according to a report by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) earlier this week.

The incident went viral online, including on various social media platforms, due to a rare footage taken by marine scientists based in California.

The squid belongs to an unknown species from the genus Bathyteuthis, whose presence in the California waters is known but is rarely seen by the public.

This is after the female squid's first reported sighting by MBARI in 2005, wherein it was also carrying a sheet of eggs in her arms.

The remarkable sighting was spotted and recorded by MBARI researchers at 4,500 feet below the Eastern Pacific Ocean basin.

It is located over 56 miles (90 kilometers) off MBARI's facilities in the Moss Landing area of California, United States.

The distance of the encounter is comparable to around three times the height of the Empire State Building to the California shorelines.

Visual details of the sighting were captured using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), which reportedly allowed the research team to study the giant squid parent in more detail.

The discovery was surprising and unusual, says the marine research facility.

It reportedly highlighted squids usually reproduce either by dropping their egg cases on the seabed or releasing them floating adrift in the open water through a "gelatinous mass."

Instead, the squid was exhibiting a behavior known as brooding.

Squid Mom Journey

(Photo : Photo by Pixabay via Pexels)

In a YouTube video uploaded by the MBARI channel on Wednesday, July 6, the giant squid mother was showing the said behavior, which has been perceived by the facility as a way to be a common natural phenomenon among bottom-dwelling octopuses, according to the post's caption.

The footage also reinforced notions of MBARI scientists that other deep-dwelling squids could also be brooders, instead of following the said conventional egg-laying behaviors.

After 17 years, the scientists confirm that this is only the second time they have spotted the brooding Bathyteuthis.

Also Read: Strawberry Squid Seen in the Twilight Zone Off the California Coast

Deep-Sea Squid

In its website, MBARI said the its archive of thousands of hours of underwater footage has helped reflect marine life on Earth's largest space, which are the oceans.

With a close look up, the facility said the deep-sea squid and its parental care technique helps a mother squid increase the survival of her hatchlings.

Prior to the early 21st century, the existence of giant squids was thought to be a product of mythical stories.

Various studies and anecdotes have summarized that Asian and European-based legends have contributed to the belief and creation of a fictional massive sea creature known as the Kraken.

Also called the Leviathan, the creature was reportedly feared by sailors aboard their ships which were navigating the world's different oceans.

The first official documentation and recording of a living giant squid was taken in Japan in 2006, according to the Smithsonian Magazine.

Since then, previous encounters from the legendary tales were highly attributed to be as giant squids.