Googly-Eyed Squid is a Ferly Discovery
As soon as the scientists monitoring the underwater camera spotted this Stubby Squid 900 meters (2,950 feet) below sea level off the coast of Northern California, they erupted in oohs and aahs. A ferly discovery, the squid was captured on camera by the E/V Nautilus is a scientific exploration vessel. Even from a distance, the purple squid’s very large eyes were what caught the attention of the research team.
Ferly is a 15th century Old English derived term that can be either an adjective or a noun. It has several meanings, one of which is “wonderfully great”. The spotting of this colorful and googly-eyed creature was definitely a wonderful encounter. Full of laughter, the research team tried guessing what it was as the camera zoomed in. Finally, seeing that the position of the tentacles are towards the front of the mouth led to the identification of it as a squid. As the research team continued to examine the cephalopod, laughter continued to erupt over its eyes. “They look like they are painted on,” pronounced one team member. Another laughed, “It’s like some little kid dropped their toy.”