{"id":20442,"date":"2019-06-19T10:44:51","date_gmt":"2019-06-19T09:44:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newsforher.com\/?p=20442"},"modified":"2019-06-19T10:44:52","modified_gmt":"2019-06-19T09:44:52","slug":"who-is-this-see-through-alien","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsforher.com\/?p=20442","title":{"rendered":"Who is this see-through alien?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- Quick Adsense WordPress Plugin: http:\/\/quickadsense.com\/ -->\n<div class=\"c5b541d88d911dcbb84397def1a3492d\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:0px 0 0px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- m -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3943282228430444\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"5751019935\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p> [ad_1]\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"id_text\" itemprop=\"articleBody\">\n<p><a data-mashable-topic=\"who-is-this-alien\" href=\"https:\/\/me.mashable.com\/who-is-this-alien\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>&#8220;Who is this alien?&#8221;<\/em><\/a><em> is Mashable\u2019s enduring series about the exceptionally peculiar critters that inhabit a relatively small, ocean-dominated world in the outer realms of the Milky Way galaxy, called Earth. Many of these lifeforms, you\u2019ll find, are quite alien.<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>California&#8217;s Monterey Bay teems with whales and vivacious seals. But, over 1,000 feet beneath the surface, swim the little-seen &#8220;glass squids.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>They are transparent, except for their guts, arms, and bulbous eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;They\u2019re very alien looking,&#8221; said Stephanie Bush, a marine ecologist who closely studied these creatures while working at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mbari.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute<\/a> (MBARI). &#8220;They have different body structures than what we\u2019re used to.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Two particularly curious types of see-through squids residing in the crescent-shaped bay are the genuses Taonius and Galiteuthis \u2014 both from the same squid family.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"image\">\n<p><img alt=\"A\u00a0 squid videotaped at 600 meters beneath the surface.\" class=\"\" data-fragment=\"m!c00c\" data-image=\"https:\/\/mondrian.mashable.com\/uploads%252Fcard%252Fimage%252F1002149%252F078dbe0e-10ba-474d-b14e-226a9a0fae89.jpg%252Ffull-fit-in__1200x2000.jpg?signature=3dedChJ1x8QevoUlFOIrJ4KPBq0=&amp;source=https%3A%2F%2Fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com\" data-micro=\"1\"  ><\/p><figcaption class=\"image-caption\">\n<p>A\u00a0 squid videotaped at 600 meters beneath the surface.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><div class=\"image-credit\">\n<p>Image:  Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>In the dingy, almost lightless (<a href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/feature\/deep-sea-exploration-space-oceanx\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">or even completely dark<\/a>) ocean depths, the squids&#8217; translucence is crucial. &#8220;It&#8217;s one of the common ways to hide yourself from predators in the deep, open ocean,&#8221; noted Bush, who is now an invertebrate researcher at the Smithsonian Institution.<\/p>\n<p>Deep sea predators are extremely sensitive to any light that penetrates through 1,000 or 2,000 feet of water. So, if something (like a squid) swims above a predator and alters the lighting or creates a silhouette \u2014 however faint \u2014 that something will likely soon be gulped up. &#8220;The idea is you have a very limited silhouette,&#8221; said Bush. That&#8217;s also why the glass squids often hold their pair of tentacles and eight arms up in the water, as if they&#8217;re reaching for the sky \u2014 to limit their silhouette or shadow.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;They hold their arms and tentacles together in a bunch \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cockatoo#\/media\/File:Cacatua_galerita_-perching_on_branch_-crest-8a-2c.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">like a cockatoo<\/a>,&#8221; said Bush. \u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"twitter-wrapper sort-rerender\">\n<div>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-video\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Your <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/molluskmonday?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#molluskmonday<\/a> moment of zen. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/taonius?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#taonius<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/squid?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#squid<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/momentofzen?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#momentofzen<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/rEoJXRkF5Y\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/rEoJXRkF5Y<\/a><\/p>\n<!-- Quick Adsense WordPress Plugin: http:\/\/quickadsense.com\/ -->\n<div class=\"c5b541d88d911dcbb84397def1a3492d\" data-index=\"2\" style=\"float: none; margin:0px 0 0px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- 2 -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3943282228430444\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"5511153269\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>\u2014 MBARI (@MBARI_News) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MBARI_News\/status\/1130579026366685184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">May 20, 2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\"><\/script>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>It&#8217;s not easy to catch a glimpse of these see-through creatures. MBARI spots them using underwater robots, known as remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), that dive down to the inhospitable ocean depths to <a data-mashable-story-id=\"5d08e0c4ca2f0c528b00003f\" href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/2018\/06\/05\/deep-sea-video-creatures-oceanx\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">observe the alien life therein<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"see-also\">\n<p class=\"see-also-link\">SEE ALSO: <a href=\"http:\/\/mashable.com\/article\/psychedelic-frogfish-alien-creature?utm_cid=a-seealso\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Who is this alien? Why, it&#8217;s the psychedelic frogfish.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>While there&#8217;s still much to grasp about these elusive deep sea lifeforms, Bush and other marine ecologists have observed a decent amount from these transparent squids. The Taonius, for example, is often found between some 1,300 and 2,620 feet beneath the surface (400 to 800 meters) in Monterey Bay, though they&#8217;ve been <a href=\"http:\/\/www.fao.org\/3\/i1920e\/i1920e.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">spotted in other oceans<\/a> around the globe, too. They&#8217;re about as long as the width of a sheet of paper (8.5 or so inches). It&#8217;s unknown, however, what exactly they eat. But it&#8217;s probably &#8220;whatever they can get their tentacles and arms on,&#8221; said Bush.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"image\">\n<p><img alt=\"An orange Galiteuthis spotted in 2001.\" class=\"\" data-fragment=\"m!280f\" data-image=\"https:\/\/mondrian.mashable.com\/uploads%252Fcard%252Fimage%252F1002174%252Fc3e36918-d6fc-4443-bddf-abb4f30f009a.jpg%252Ffull-fit-in__1200x2000.jpg?signature=Y2u7zfYJoqxgRsMPZggTZkRx04Q=&amp;source=https%3A%2F%2Fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com\" data-micro=\"1\"  ><\/p><figcaption class=\"image-caption\">\n<p>An orange Galiteuthis spotted in 2001.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><div class=\"image-credit\">\n<p>Image:  MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM RESEARCH INSTITUTE (MBARI)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The Taonius&#8217; relative, the Galiteuthis, is especially unique in that the organism can inject ink into its transparent body, making it appear even darker \u2014 likely to better disguise itself from nearby predators. &#8220;They puff their body up and turn themselves into an opaque animal for a short amount of time,&#8221; explained Bush. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In the <a href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/article\/marine-snow-bioluminescence-oceanx\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">deep, dark, eerie sea<\/a>, both Taonius and Galiteuthis rely on big eyes to see through their blackened world. It&#8217;s absolutely vital for finding a meal. And a mate.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Their eyes are huge,&#8221; said Bush. &#8220;They have to find a mate, too, or bye-bye to the species.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"bonus-video-card\">\n<h2 class=\"title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/video\/katie-mack-theoretical-astrophysicist-cosmology?utm_cid=a-bonusvideo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">WATCH: Ever wonder how the universe might end?<\/a><\/h2>\n<div class=\"jw-wrapper\">\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen=\"\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/videos\/embed?video=MVlQJVEWoN&amp;player=default\" width=\"640\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<!-- Quick Adsense WordPress Plugin: http:\/\/quickadsense.com\/ -->\n<div class=\"c5b541d88d911dcbb84397def1a3492d\" data-index=\"5\" style=\"float: none; margin:0px 0 0px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- 5 -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3943282228430444\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"9258826580\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n[ad_2]\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/me.mashable.com\/science\/5613\/who-is-this-see-through-alien\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n\n<!-- Quick Adsense WordPress Plugin: http:\/\/quickadsense.com\/ -->\n<div class=\"c5b541d88d911dcbb84397def1a3492d\" data-index=\"3\" style=\"float: none; margin:0px 0 0px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- 3 -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3943282228430444\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"2884989920\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[ad_1] &#8220;Who is this alien?&#8221; is Mashable\u2019s enduring series about the exceptionally peculiar critters that inhabit a relatively small, ocean-dominated world in the outer realms of the Milky Way galaxy, called Earth. Many of these lifeforms, you\u2019ll find, are quite alien.\u00a0 California&#8217;s Monterey Bay teems with whales and vivacious seals. But, over 1,000 feet beneath &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20443,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsforher.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20442"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsforher.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsforher.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsforher.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsforher.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=20442"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newsforher.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20442\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20444,"href":"https:\/\/newsforher.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20442\/revisions\/20444"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsforher.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/20443"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsforher.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20442"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsforher.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=20442"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsforher.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=20442"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}