During an expedition to Mexico’s Gulf of California in 2015, MBARI’s remotely operated vehicle Doc Ricketts encountered a mother squid cradling a cluster of eggs. This sighting was striking because the eggs were twice as large as those of other deep-sea squids we’ve seen brooding their eggs. The mantle length of the squid was 221 millimeters (8.7 inches), and the average egg size was 11.6 millimeters (half an inch).

Researchers from MBARI, GEOMAR’s Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, and the University of South Florida have learned this individual likely represents an unknown species of the family of Gonatidae and one that broods giant eggs.

While maternal care is common among octopuses, brooding has only been observed in a handful of squids. Most squid species leave clumps of eggs attached to the seafloor or release neutrally buoyant egg masses containing thousands of eggs that drift in the water column. These reproductive strategies require relatively low effort compared to providing post-spawning egg care.

The deep sea is the largest living space on Earth, but an environment we still know very little about. Every new discovery we make is a new piece of the puzzle.

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Research Publication:
Hoving, H.-J.T., S.H.D. Haddock, B.H. Robison, and B.A. Seibel. 2024. Giant eggs in a deep-sea squid. Ecology, e4319. doi.org/10.1002/ecy.4319


Producer/editor: Kyra Schlining
Production team: Raúl Nava, Nancy Jacobsen Stout, Susan von Thun

Music: Aeon by Theatre of Delays
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