Meet the Piglet Squid

The Piglet Squid (BBC Focus Magazine)

This is the Piglet Squid (Heliocranchia pfefferi) which always has a smile on his face! The tentacles seem to form a mass of curly 'hair'. The squid is roughly the size of a small avocado and is common in deep water in virtually all oceans. It lives at depths of around 100m or 320ft.

 

The piglet squid is a slow swimmer but ammonium ions in its body fluid help to keep it buoyant. A large light-producing organ (photophore) is located beneath each of its large eyes.