Deep Sea Squid Communicate by Glowing Like E-Readers
"Deep in the Pacific Ocean, six-foot-long Humboldt squid are known for being
aggressive, cannibalistic and, according to new research, good communicators."
"Known as "red devils," the squid can rapidly change the color of their skin, making different patterns to communicate, something other squid species are known to do."
"But Humboldt squid live in almost total darkness more than 1,000 feet below the surface, so their patterns aren't very visible. Instead, according to a new study, they create backlighting for the patterns by making their bodies glow, like the screen of an e-reader."
"'Right now, what blows my mind is there's probably squid talking to each other in the deep ocean and they're probably sharing all sorts of cool information,' said Ben Burford, a graduate student at Stanford University."
"Humboldt squid crowd together in large, fast-moving groups to feed on small fish and other prey."
"'When you watch them it looks like frenzy,' Burford said. 'But if you pay close attention, they're not touching each other. They're not bumping into each other.'"