Magnapinna pacifica facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Magnapinna pacifica |
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| Holotype of Magnapinna pacifica (51 mm ML) |
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The Magnapinna pacifica is a very unique type of deep-sea squid. It's also known as a "bigfin squid" because of its unusually large fins. Scientists have only found a few young ones, so there's still a lot to learn about these mysterious creatures that live deep in the ocean.
Discovering the Bigfin Squid
Magnapinna pacifica is the main species in its group, called Magnapinna. It's easy to spot because of its special tentacles. These tentacles are wider than its other arms, and they have many suckers on them. Imagine a squid with really long, thin arms that look like spaghetti, and then some thicker ones with lots of tiny suction cups!
How Scientists Found It
Scientists Michael Vecchione and Richard E. Young first described Magnapinna pacifica in 1998. They based their description on three young squid specimens.
One of these specimens, called the holotype, was a young squid about 51 millimeters (about 2 inches) long. It was caught off the coast of California. This squid was found in a special net called a Bongo plankton net, at a depth of 0 to 200 meters (about 0 to 650 feet).
Another young squid, known as a paratype, was about 49 millimeters long. This one was found in the stomach of a lancetfish (a type of deep-sea fish). It had dried out a bit but was later brought back to its original state for study.
The third specimen was a very tiny, young squid, only about 19.1 millimeters long. It was caught near Hawaii in a large plankton net. This tiny squid was found at a depth of 0 to 300 meters (about 0 to 980 feet).
These few discoveries are all we know about Magnapinna pacifica so far. Scientists hope to find more of these amazing bigfin squids in the future to learn even more about them!
