A few days ago, we told you about our first experimental 'fishing trip'. Since then, Kat has been casting her net almost daily, and Roger has been photographing the results.
Although the first couple of tows didn't bring in any squid, over the last few days Kat tried sampling at dawn, with a different net, and had more success. First, she picked up a little cranchiid (glass) squid, from the genus Leachia, and yesterday she found another different squid, currently unidentified, and six tiny Argonauta, or paper nautilus.
Below are photos of some of the tiny creatures we photographed through a microscope:
The net has also caught a variety of small fish, ranging from shallow-dwelling larvae to deep-sea species, and more of the invertebrates we found on the first night. These include:
Labidocera, a bright blue copepod, the males of which have a sexually modified antenna (pictured below)
Phronima, a transparent amphipod with a huge head that looks like something from the film Alien - this little crustacean eats the insides out of salps and then lives inside the hollowed-out body!
Euphausiid shrimp (krill)
Mysid (possum) shrimp
Yellow bristly polychaete worms with enormous orange eyes
Brown and pink pteropods - molluscs (like snails) that float upside down and swim using their foot as a fin
Isopods, like slaters (woodlice or roly-polies), that are ravenously hungry and begin to chew on everything else in the samples
Amphipods with enormous dark eyes that take up their entire heads
Physalia - bluebottle (Portuguese Man O'War) jellyfish of various sizes
Comments
Wonderful pictures, Kat. And to think they had to be taken through a microscope. Also appreciated the story of coral, and your meeting with the fishermen. you hve many fans here in Florida now, and lots of relatives are eager for your messages. Love, Bestema
Posted by: Harriet Bolstad at June 9, 2004 12:00 AM
Nice wee squid, cousin of the larger Antarctic Colossal Squid, Mesonychoteuthis; hope you don't get one of those in the nets!
Looking forward to updates.
O
Posted by: Steve at June 7, 2004 09:28 AM
.... you know that we're heading into giant squid breeding season don't you. Right now, in waters off West Coast South Island, those giant animals will be migrating in to feed on smaller squid, fish, and, shudder, each other (good old cannibalism trick).
If you're very lucky, and those trawler's nets don't destroy all of those giant squid egg masses, then you could well get the little guy out there ... where ever you are.
Keep on sampling. It might be miserable up above, but those squid have to brave those conditions throughout their lives. It's worse below!
Posted by: Steve at June 7, 2004 09:19 AM
Hope you have conquered that "bug", Kat. I can't imagine anything worse than fighting the "flu" way down there on the other side of the world in the middle of a tossing, unrelenting ocean. Your 93-year-old grandmother is eager for word that you are feeling better. Love, Bestema
Posted by: Harriet Bolstad at June 7, 2004 04:36 AM
