Broody squid

Squid are better parents than anyone suspected, say deep-sea explorers who have caught sight of the animals caring for large sacs of eggs.

The brooding behavior, as the egg-carrying is called, was discovered and filmed in female Gonatus onyx squid, a common species found in surface waters.

While brooding, the squids hang out at 5,000-7,000 feet under the waves, in mid-water above the gaping abyss of the Monterey Canyon off California's central coast.

From Discovery News. It appears that once the mother squid embraces her egg sac, it's for good -- she wastes away under her maternal burden. Interesting, too, is the article's mention that the notion of brooding squid was first proposed only five years ago. There's still so much out there that we know next to nothing about . . .

Posted by David on December 18, 2005 1:07 PM