MBARI Mid-water ecology cruise Nov 2014

Tintenfisch

Architeuthis
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Hi all,

Back out at sea on the Western Flyer so I'm hoping to get some nice photos to share! We're out for 8 days, trialing a new small ROV, and will be using the larger Doc Ricketts as well.

No gear in the water yet (we only just left) but I stopped through Steinhart Aquarium yesterday afternoon to catch up with Rich, and did get to see these super-cute little guys.

More soon!

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First deployment of the little ROV was a success! Saw thousands of Doryteuthis (formerly Loligo) and one Galiteuthis at about 300m. Putting down a net after dinner as well so I'll post some pics if we catch anything fun!
 
Haven't driven anything yet, might get to operate the camera again on the big ROV at some stage. First day's searching turned up some cool stuff--Abraliopsis felis (see beautiful multicolored photophores below), Octopoteuthis deletron, Chiroteuthis calyx and Gonatus onyx. Got my first set of data for a new project I'm piloting as well as a couple more data points for an existing project about eye response to light in deep-sea squids, and also a few nice photos.
 

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The arms on the chiroteuthis calyx look like they have snap together sections (cool pix) on at least two arms. Are these for quick release or do we know?
 
Sharp spotting--those are actually damage, D :oops: While we were filtering the water, it darted in front of the suction hose and got briefly entangled. They probably don't even lock the tentacle clubs together--they seem to prefer a more tuning-fork-like hunting pose (you can kind of see it here).
 
Ok, here are a few for today. We collected quite a few small Gonatus onyx for a project I have going on, but I didn't get to photograph them as I needed them to stay in the dark. Galiteuthis phyllura is a new one for this trip though, and I got a decent overall shot of Abraliopsis felis. The little guys came in in yesterday evening's trawl--Chiroteuthis calyx (the long skinny one), baby Galiteuthis, and not sure about the tiny one. We also saw some really cool jellies (like Solmissus) and ctenophores (like Lampocteis, the "blood belly comb jelly"). Also, dolphins bow-riding tonight, stirring up luminescent plankton so that they swam through the water like glowing green comets... stunning! I can't check this video from the boat, but it looks like it might give the right idea...
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Morning! Should be an interesting day--the ROV is going down to 3000m this morning. So far on the way down we've seen Octopoteuthis deletron, a Gonatus berryi eating an owlfish (as in the famous MBARI video), a brooding Gonatus sp., and a giant ostracod, Gigantocypris, (which is about 1" in diameter, which IS giant for an ostracod). Stay tuned! The lab shots are G. onyx from last night.
 

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It's going great! The ROV went back down to about 3000m today, which is generally too deep for squid, but we did look around on the way up. A vamp flashed past us while we were cruising along but we couldn't find it when we went back--so just a brief glimpse. We did find one of my favorite squids though, Taonius borealis, at 1170m--the first one of this trip. This one was the center of my attention today! We also saw a cat shark, some pteropods, a big Tiburonia jelly (where's Clem?) and lots, and lots, and LOTS of marine snow. I never knew until the last time I came out here that flying the ROV through the deep sea actually looks like the old Windows starfield screen saver--that's how much organic stuff there is drifting around!
 

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a big Tiburonia jelly (where's Clem?)
tagging @Clem for his nightmare fuel :twisted:

flying the ROV through the deep sea actually looks like the old Windows starfield screen saver
Ha! Old enough to have used that screen saver extensively. That screen saver should have included the occasional vampire squid :smile:
 
D, cranchiids have some of the largest and most bulbous eyes, which is one of the reasons I'm interested in them--I have a couple of projects planned looking more closely (ha ha) at their very big, googly eyes. Here are a few more pics of the same Taonius (it was a great subject).
 

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