Jumbo Squids Attack Underwater Sub

Like a scene straight out of "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," two Greenpeace seafarers were attacked by squid. But rather than a giant squid, it was a pair of jumbo, or Humboldt squids, and instead of the Nautilus it was a Dual Deep Worker underwater submarine.

The Greenpeace divers were on an expedition in the Bering Sea when they came under attack, surrounded by billowing clouds of ink and angry flashes of red - giving the squid their nickname "red devils" - as seen in a Vine video.

The video feeds into the popular notion that these cephalopods - smaller than the famous giant squid, but still weighing up to 100 pounds (50 kg) and measuring as long as 6.2 feet (1.9 meters), according to Fox News - are violent and aggressive towards humans.

Jumbo squids are usually found anywhere from 660 to 2,330 feet below the surface, and swim off the coasts of British Columbia all the way down to Chile. In fact, its name is derived from the Humboldt Current off the western coast of South America.

Opposite their tamer octopus brethren, jumbo squids have a bad reputation of being extremely hostile. As the video shows, these mollusks can change color from white to blood red when they're angry, due to color-producing chromatophores found in their skin. Aside from creating a brilliant, albeit terrifying color display, experts believe it is also a way for the sea creatures to communicate with one another.

And the Greenpeace fellows should consider themselves lucky, for these squid also boast tentacle suckers lined with tiny, sharp teeth that can do some serious damage.

Despite their notoriety, some scientists think these squid are not aggressive, just misunderstood. According to CNET, it's possible that the color- and ink-infused attack was set off by the flashing bright lights of the Dual Deep Worker, which was perceived as a threat.

Jumbo squid are not the largest squid, however. As National Geographic reports, giant squid grow up to 43 feet (13 meters) and weigh as much as 610 pounds (275 kg). Colossal squid grow up to 46 feet (14 meters) and weigh as much as 1,091 pounds (495 kg).