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Source: Nautilus Live
If you’re a fan of crazy critters like the cute “googly-eyed” squid, documented in the deep ocean by the E/V Nautilus, you’ll want to watch the latest footage captured by the scientists’ remotely operated research vehicle. The expedition is studying 10 unexplored seamounts in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, just off the coast of Hawaii.
The viral video shows the view from a deep-sea rover’s camera as it zeroes in on a curious black object hovering in the water. With the team of scientists watching—and providing priceless commentary—the alien begins to shape-shift, inflating and deflating like a possessed balloon, before eventually deflating completely and swimming away. “Big gulp!” write the researchers on the Nautilus’ website. “The Nautilus team spotted a gulper eel (Eurypharynx pelecanoides) doing just that in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.”
Gulper eels, which can grow to three feet and live as deep as 6,000 feet, have the unique ability to expand their mouths in a pelican-like fashion to scoop up large prey. However, some researchers also speculate that the fish puts on the bizarre display to intimidate when it feels threatened.
Check out the mind-blowing video below.
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