Researchers Spot 'Googly-Eyed' Stubby Squid In Deep Waters Off California Coast

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A research vessel plying the deep waters off the California coast last week discovered an unusual "googly-eyed" cephalopod.

A remote-controlled submersible craft searching the seafloor at a depth of about 2,950 feet found the googly-eyed stubby squid. The finding was broadcast live to viewers.

Researchers, who were controlling the submersible aboard the research vessel E/V Nautilus, were clearly enamored of the animal's cartoonishly large eyes.

"He has weird eyes," one researcher said in the broadcast.

"They look painted on," another said. "It's like some little kid dropped their toy."

The stubby squid is known to inhabit Pacific waters from Japan to Southern California at depths of up to 1,000 feet. They have also been found at depths of up to 4,200 feet.

The stubby squid "looks like a cross between an octopus and squid, but is more closely related to cuttlefish," the researchers said. "This species spends life on the seafloor, activating a sticky mucus jacket and burrowing into the sediment to camouflage, leaving their eyes poking out to spot prey like shrimp and small fish."

This wasn't the first cute cephalopod to find itself in the E/V Nautilus' viewfinder in local waters.

E/V Nautilus is a research vessel dedicated to mapping the seafloor and exploring deep-water marine habitats. The vessel is funded by NOAA, the Ocean Exploration Trust and other groups.