Googly-Eyed Stubby Squid Spotted 3,000 Feet Under the Sea off California Coast
The cartoonish purple sea creature had scientists doing double takes.
— -- A googly-eyed stubby squid was recently spotted nearly 3,000 feet under the sea off the coast of California.
The tiny purple squid was caught on video last week by a team of scientific explorers aboard the E/V Nautilus, according to Susan Poulton, a spokeswoman for Nautilus Live.
In the video, several researchers can be heard laughing at the funny-looking sea creature.
"He has weird eyes," one says.
"Yo! What is that?" another asks.
The odd-looking creature is scientifically known as Rossia pacifica, Poulton told ABC News today.
The squid "spends life on the seafloor, activating a sticky mucus jacket and burrowing into the sediment to camouflage," she said, adding that it leaves its "eyes poking out to spot prey like shrimp and small fish."