Squid graveyard in Gulf of California

This video, from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) in the USA, says about itself:

Deep-Sea Discoveries: Squid Graveyard

15 March 2018

On an expedition in the Gulf of California, MBARI researchers discovered a surprising number of deep-sea squid carcasses on the ocean floor. The squid have a fascinating life history, but their story doesn’t end when they die. They become food for hungry scavengers and might change the rhythm of life in the deep sea.

Egg sheets were up to 2.5 m (over 8 feet) long.

The Gulf of California lies between mainland Mexico and Baja. MBARI researchers conducted expeditions there in 2003, 2012 and 2015.

For more information, see here.

Script and narration: Vicky Stein (MBARI Communications Intern)

Video producer: Linda Kuhnz

Music: Amazing Lake

Original journal article: Hoving, H.J.T., Bush, S.L., Haddock, S.H.D., Robison, B.H. (2017). Bathyal feasting: post-spawning squid as a source of carbon for deep-sea benthic communities. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 284: 20172096.

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