Specimen taken off the coast of Goseong County, South Korea. Translated news item indicates overall length of 50-60cm. Citation for the East Sea Fisheries Research Institute, which noted that the squid was of a type not previously recorded in the locale. Made the Yonhap News on December 14, 2006. Looks like a chiroteuthid to me.

Source page here. (http://www.animalpicturesarchive.com/view.php?tid=4&did=131802)

Clem

What's the black thing coming out of it's arms, it looks strangely out of place..and doesn't strike me as a tentacle of sorts..maybe I'm just unschooled in squid photography appreciation.

Hi Chrono,

You're probably right about it not being a tentacle. It's possible that this squid is Mastigoteuthis, a chiroteuthid distinguished by, among other things, an arm IV pair that is proportionately much longer and wider than the rest of the arms. These arms function as sheaths for the tentacles, which are quite thin and often lost during specimen capture. I think the black appearance of that one arm is a result of the lighting conditions; it's probably a dark, dark red. I think the other Arm IV is visible curving above the Yon in Yonhap, but the distal portion (furthest from the head) of that one appears to have gone to white, so it's possible the animal wasn't fully expired and was color-shifting.

Cheers,
Clem

Wow, gorgeous pic. Nice squiddy. I wonder how long it will last.:(