Deep Sea Squid With Teeth
True or False?
Squid with human-looking teeth? Add to that eight legs and two tentacles, and we’ve got one very odd-looking Promachoteuthis sulcus. This deep sea squid is the only specimen ever seen. It was found in 2007 by a German research vessel, R/V Walther Herwig, in the southern Atlantic ocean, at a depth of 5,740–6,560 ft (1,750–2,000 m).
Squid With Teeth?
As for the “teeth”, they’re not actually teeth at all, but circular, folded lips with only the upper and lower portions visible. Deep inside the mouth, it had a small razor-sharp beak, used to chop and chew prey.
It is distinguished from related taxa on the basis of several morphological features: nuchal fusion between the head and mantle, much larger size of arm suckers compared to club suckers, greater width of tentacle base than arm base, a recessed club base, and the presence of an aboral tentacle groove.
This squid was an immature female and only 1 inch (25 mm) long.
| Location | South Atlantic: 37°S, 12°W |
|---|---|
| Comments | The squid seems to have a set of dentures. The “dentures” are the circular, folded lips, of which only the upper and lower portions can be seen. The lips surround the beaks which are not visible in this photograph. |
| Specimen Condition | Preserved |
| Sex | Female |
| Life Cycle Stage | Immature |
| Body Part | brachial crown |
| View | Oral |
| Size | 25 mm ML |
| Collection | NMNH 730702 |
| Type | Holotype |
| Image Use | This media file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License – Version 3.0. |
| Copyright | © 2003 Richard E. Young |
| Attached to Group | Promachoteuthis sulcus: view page image collection |
| Title | PromachSpCOral.jpg |
| Image Type | Photograph |
| Image Content | Specimen(s) |
| ID | 4738 |
SOURCE: tolweb.org
Squid With Teeth - Fact or Fiction? Click To Tweet
***
See also: “What is a Sea Pig? Icky Mushy, Mushy Sea Cucumber Thing?
*
Her own animal experience is vast, having raised and rescued Alpine Goats, Chickens, Turkeys, Vietnamese Pot Bellied Pigs, Turtles, Raccoons, Cats, Dogs, and even an Opossum and Bearded Dragon.
- Mindful Travel With Your Dog This Holiday Season - December 23, 2019
- A-Z of Australia’s Endangered Wildlife - December 20, 2019
- Teaching Your Kids How to Walk the Dog Safely - December 2, 2019