Eerie beauty of the squid: Underwater photographs which capture spectacular colours of sea creature usually thought of as ugly
Bobtail squids use thousands of cells in the outer layer of their skin to change colour
They transform to attract a mate or blend in with their surroundings
These stunning images capture the amazing skin of the bobtail squid, who use thousands of cells to change colour.
The cephalopods have translucent skin with pigments called chromatophores, which appear as small patches or dots. They use the cells to transform so they can attract a mate or blend into their surroundings.
Underwater photographer Todd Bretl took the incredible pictures during one of his many expeditions into the sea.
Stunning: A picture of a bobtail squid taken by Todd Bretl, a specialist underwater photographer
Transformation: The photographer has captured the thousands of pigment cells squids have on their skin arms which cause them to change colour
He was raised on a boat in Bermuda and says he grew up with the ocean as his playground and constant companion.
His website says: 'After years spent in envy of the island's many scuba divers, he eagerly began diving as soon as he was able, at the age of 12.'
'Hundreds of dives later, and on an impulsive desire to try something new, Todd purchased some basic underwater photography equipment to experiment with during a 2008 dive trip to Palau.
'There, he had the serendipitous good fortune to spend much of his time with underwater filmmaking legend Stan Waterman, whose encouragement, inimitable good humor, and ageless enthusiasm inspired Todd.'
'After taking over two thousand images in Palau, Todd returned home utterly addicted to the unique balance of art, science, technology, and adventure provided by the pursuit of underwater photography.'
Colour: These squids' cells appear as small patches or dots causing the formation of yellow or brownish-black pigments
Pattern: The skin of the bobtail squids appears as dots which are formed because of the change in pigments in their skin
Reflections: The photographer has captured the colourful skin of the squid shining on the surface of the water
'Since that time, Todd has strived to continuously further his skills with a camera and to capture unique images of the underwater world that he fell in love with as a young child.'
Todd's photographs have appeared in commercial and trade publications, and he has also won multiple international competitions.
Bobtail squids are similar to cuttlefish. They are small animals with eight suckered arms and two tentacles.
They live in shallow coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean and some parts of the Indian Ocean as well as off the west coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.
Like cuttlefish, they can swim by either using the fins or by jet propulsion. They are also known as dumpling squid or stubby squid.
Translucent: Part of the skin is almost completely see-through as the squid blends into the surrounding waters
Mirrored: The bright colours of the squid are reflected in the water as the skin's pigment give it a brown and yellow tinge
White: The small sucker arms are curled up beneath the body of the squid作者: colourbeast 時間: 2013-9-29 11:45 AM
thanks for sharing作者: vandas 時間: 2013-10-2 02:08 AM
本帖最後由 vandas 於 2013-10-2 03:35 AM 編輯
Euprymna scolopes, Hawaiian bobtail squid
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Euprymna scolopes is a small (to just 35 mm ml) sepiolid squid endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. While nocturnal like other sepiolids, it is unusual in that it ranges into very shallow water just 2-4 cm deep. Most other sepiolids are found in relatively deep water.
Euprymna scolopes can be found at night nearshore over sand flats by wading with a light or lantern or snorkeling with a dive light. During the day it buries itself in the sand. When it emerges from the sand it keeps a "sand coat" on its dorsal surface which is presumed to give it camouflage when attacking prey.
The sepiolid is relatively short-lived, just 3-10 months from egg to its semelparous death. Eggs are 2.0 mm in diameter and laid on the undersides of coral ledges in shallow water. Paralarvae grow very fast; Hanlon et al. (1997) found E. scolopes to breed and lay eggs in the laboratory just 2 months after hatching from the egg. Juveniles are frequently found with adults in shallow water. Adults are sometimes trawled offshore in mid-water in depths to 138 fathoms. They have been reared in the laboratory on live shrimp in Hawaii and on mysids at Woods Hole.
It has been proposed that E. scolopes can become an easily-reared cephalopod for laboratory research projects. Numerous laboratory studies have been done researching its symbiotic bacterium Vibrio fischeri which lives in the sepiolid's light organ to produce a weak light under the body of the animal. This gives it counter-shading and camouflage from predators.
There are a limited number of studies on the behavior of E. scolopes in the wild, probably because of its nocturnal habits. Anderson and Mather (1996) in describing its escape behaviors said "these large number of unpredictable responses from a nocturnal and small sepiolid such as E. scolopes suggests a high level of neural complexity, perhaps what one might expect from a behaviorally 'advanced' cephalopod mollusc."
