Bay area researchers are learning more about two rare squid that were picked up in the Caribbean Sea.
USF St. Petersburg professor Heather Judkins and her students are doing the research.
"Most of the squid we look at are six or seven inches long or smaller, so anytime we get a large squid, it is fun for us, because it's a nice extra piece to add to our research puzzle," Judkins said.
The two squids being examined were more than six feet long.
"The megalacroanchia is a gelatinous squid, so it's really jelly-like in nature," Judkins said. "The other one's called an asperoteuthis. The family is called the long-armed squid."
Plenty is known about squid.
"They are an interesting group," Judkins said. "They are invertebrates, so they don't have a backbone. They have tons of adaptations to allow them to be successful. They have bio-luminescence, they can change texture, they have suckers to try to catch prey. They have extremely good vision."
But Judkins says there's a lot to learn.
"The asperoteuthis we're looking at is really exciting because it's the first time we've had a mature female," she said. "She has just spawned and she has remnants of her recent activities out and about, so we know now we can kind of put together reproduction and life history cycle for them."
One squid reveals reproduction secrets, and the other can help clarify the differences.
"I'm going to be looking at the arm suckers in particular on these guys because they change as it moves down the arm, and that could be one of the characteristics to differentiate the species," Judkins said.