Science is Fun Fridays!
In the deep waters of Ørstafjorden in Norway, a team aboard a research vessel happened upon a rare find - a giant mass of squid eggs.
Squids produce these giant masses of mucus which contain tens of thousands of eggs being incubated. It is thought that the female lays a smaller mass but it expands on contact with the water. However, one species has been seen pumping seawater into the egg sac, so that could be a possibility as well.
Different squids produce different shapes of masses - the diamondback squid's is a long tube of mucus which resembles a slinky.
Other squids produce more of a transparent blob, such as the neon flying squid sac found by National Geographic in 2015.
The particular species found in Norway is unknown but may possibly be the European flying squid, as they are known to live in the Norwegian Sea which connects to the fjord.
These masses are rarely seen because they are laid so deep. Then they sink lower and lower until the baby squids hatch, at approximately 500 feet.
Evidence suggests that the mucus serves as a protective barrier. In 2012, marine biologists tried to raise squids in a lab using IVF but found that they were prone to infection and would die in a matter of hours. It is also very likely protection from predators.
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