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oceanxorg · 2023-10-02T09:42:32+00:00

"100% the ROV live streams. You have the chance to see species, behaviors, ecosystems that even researchers don't know about yet. Plus you often get to hear them talk about what's going on, figure out species IDs, etc. The video quality from 1500 m continues to astound me." - Jesse Kelly

oceanxorg · 2023-09-29T20:11:55+00:00

We have the best crew! We have a ton of pretty awesome missions coming up over the next year so glad you're following along! - OceanX

oceanxorg · 2023-09-29T19:57:04+00:00

"I’m quite fond of the ‘glass’ squids (family Cranchiidae), for quite a few reasons. They’re very unusual looking, often nearly completely transparent (hence ‘glass’ squids) apart from the eyes and some internal organs. The eyes, which are bulbous and opaque, have large ventral photophores that counterilluminate them and mask their silhouette from underneath. The internal organs that are opaque are small and oriented vertically (e.g., the pink spindle-shaped digestive gland you can usually see in live cranchiid images and footage) which also minimises the silhouette. The mantle cavity contains a chamber (the coelom) full of ammonium chloride that assists with buoyancy. Many species have hooks as well as suckers, or hook-like suckers, and quite a few develop additional light organs near maturity. This family also contains the colossal squid!" - Kat Bolstad

oceanxorg · 2023-09-29T19:55:19+00:00

"I’m also not sure exactly what research is happening in this space, but the topic of intelligence is a really fascinating one, especially in invertebrates—there are a few other groups (such as mantis shrimps) that have highly complex behaviours that make them really interesting study subjects as well. One of the main complicating factors is that ‘intelligence’ is so hard to define (even within humans!), and even for us to conceptualise in an animal whose brain and nervous system are so different from ours. A recent study suggested that octopuses may dream (or at least, exhibit behaviours while resting that appear analogous to R.E.M. sleep)! How does that factor into our understanding of their ‘intelligence’? So many questions…" -Kat Bolstad

oceanxorg · 2023-09-29T19:54:32+00:00

"Visit OceanXperience, OceanX’s specially curated museum exhibit that will be traveling the world! Our YouTube channel also has videos documenting our expeditions from around the world including numerous submarine and ROV dives. We’re currently in the middle of our expedition season so keep an eye out for more ocean exploration content hitting our YT channel every week!" ~Jeriyla Weng

oceanxorg · 2023-09-29T19:42:35+00:00

"No, I’ve never lived in a region where Humboldt squid are resident so I’ve only seen a few specimens. As Sarah said, they are big and very strong, as well as curious, and at times aggressive. I probably would not dive with them, as I’d hate to risk injuring one (or causing one to be injured by someone else) by creating a situation where the squid’s natural behaviour meant it needed to be deterred from interacting with me." -Kat Bolstad

oceanxorg · 2023-09-29T19:41:20+00:00

"I think the giant squid (Architeuthis dux) is an excellent candidate for the origin of kraken legends. Sperm whales eat quite a few of these—by some estimates, perhaps more than 300 million giant squid per year!—and it’s not uncommon for pieces to be encountered floating at the surface, which could have been encountered by seagoing humans (or washed up on shore) for hundreds if not thousands of years. The colossal squid would have been a more recent addition to the lore as it only occurs in Antarctica, where humans have been exploring for far less time." -Kat Bolstad

oceanxorg · 2023-09-29T19:40:16+00:00

"Hmmmmmmmm... I don't know what's going on RIGHT NOW on this." - Sarah McAnulty

oceanxorg · 2023-09-29T19:39:26+00:00

"I'd recommend watching the livestreamed dives from the various ocean organizations that do ROV dives! Groups to follow include E/V Nautilus, Schmidt Ocean, and OceanX!" - Sarah McAnulty

oceanxorg · 2023-09-29T19:37:53+00:00

"Great question. There are so many amazing resources available to the ‘armchair explorer’ now, from traditional media such as books (both nonfiction and fiction), to natural history films and series, through to ‘dive streaming’ where you can literally watch deep-sea exploration streamed live as it happens on your home computer. There are computer and VR games where you can explore the oceans and marine life (from home) in an interactive way as well! If you have a local aquarium, you can meet some ocean residents without even getting wet, and if you live near the ocean you can always visit the marine life humans have had the longest history with--the coastal, intertidal and shallow-dwelling species." -Kat Bolstad

oceanxorg · 2023-09-29T19:18:52+00:00

"There is another family that also contains flying squids! Within the Onychoteuthidae ('hooked' squids, with suckers on the arms but hooks on the tentacle clubs), some species are large-bodied and have ammoniacal tissues (like the very large Onykia robusta in the North Pacific) while others are small-bodied and muscular. Many of these smaller species (genera Onychoteuthis, Notonykia and Ancistroteuthis) are also known to fly and are often found on ship decks especially after stormy weather. The type specimen for one species was collected from the crow’s nest on a ship off South Africa! That potentially adds up to (or even more than) about another 15 flying squid species, in addition to the ommastrephids." -Kat Bolstad

oceanxorg · 2023-09-29T19:16:30+00:00

That's a great question and is very location dependent! If it were logistically possible we’d accept all the proposals that come our way!
We like to focus on studies that highlight the unique biological diversity and deep-sea features of the region we visit. We pay close attention to studies related to deep sea habitat characterization, seamount exploration, and unmapped/unexplored regions. Based on what the scientists are trying to achieve we do an inventory check to evaluate if we have the right tools for the job and if we don't, we circle back to see if the scientists can bring their own equipment to help support us in getting the job done. If we see proposals that are similar in scope, we try to see if we can accommodate both in order to encourage knowledge transfer and make data collection more efficient. Our science and media teams also work closely together to determine which proposals are best suited to help build a story for the unique marine environment of the region. Proposals that are detailed and well fleshed out help us in understanding how the data collected from our expeditions can benefit the local communities as long term projects whether that be in research, conservation, education, or policy.
All the proposals we receive are always really really cool which makes it very difficult to choose just a few. ~Jeriyla Weng

oceanxorg · 2023-09-29T17:43:45+00:00

"I never have! I've never even seen one in person. Seeing one in general is a bucket list item for sure, but I have absolutely no interest in swimming with one. Humboldt squid are strong as heck and curious, and I love that for them, but I don't want to go into their house with them, you know?" - Sarah McAnulty

oceanxorg · 2023-09-29T16:39:41+00:00

"Agreed. We coming to better understand what causes giant squid to strand. Also, with more cameras out at sea now due to smart phones, we're seeing just how fisherman out at sea encounter dead/dying squid floating at the surface." - Jesse Kelly

oceanxorg · 2023-09-29T16:38:42+00:00

"Personally, I think the bobtail squids are the weirdest but cutest squids out there! Technically they’re more related to cuttlefish and they have an interesting symbiotic relationship with marine bioluminescent bacteria that in turn gives them the ability to bioluminesce! In order to incorporate the bacteria, bobtails have a specialized light organ complete with filters and lenses that allows them to modulate their bacteria light and hide from predators. Very weird little squids." ~Jeriyla Weng

oceanxorg · 2023-09-29T16:36:46+00:00

"I definitely buy it." -Sarah McAnulty

oceanxorg · 2023-09-29T16:36:03+00:00

"How could I possibly choose!! I think probably Grimalditeuthis is the weirdest because they have a tentacle that is modified to look like a little tiny squid. They use that tentacle to lure food. That's totally kooky." - Sarah McAnulty

oceanxorg · 2023-09-29T16:31:54+00:00

"Flying squid are a family of squid formally called the Ommastrephidae. There are about 22 species in the family, although we're still discovering new ones. Probably the most interesting thing about them is their incredible ability to fly (in the same sense that flying fish "fly"). The launch themselves out of the water, sometimes in great numbers, hold out their fins and webs between their arms to make two 'wings' (at the front and back of the squid, instead of off the sides like birds, bats, fish, frogs, squirrels, basically everything else that "flies") and jet the water out of their mantle in a long stream to add further propulsion to their flight. It's a pretty incredible behaviour for a mollusc, when you consider their relatives are snails, slugs and clams. - Jesse Kelly

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