AUT Squid Squad

A small x-bow expedition vessel in port in Otepoti Dunedin, awaiting its next adventure

After an epic weekend of rounding up the final gear for #ProjectESCA season 2, @thomaslinley.com and I join Aurora Expeditions' MV Douglas Mawson today to start our next Antarctic squidchasing adventure!

#ProjectESCA has arrived in Dunedin to make final preparations before we sail out for Antarctica on Monday to go squidchasing. @thomaslinley.com and I are hoping this is a good omen...

The #ProjectESCA team flank a life-sized plush colossal squid on a sofa in a ship lounge. A mysterious cardboard hammerhead shark hat lurks behind

T -5 days to the next voyage! Want to know the story of #ProjectESCA? @thomaslinley.com and I chatted about how we got here on the @deepseapod.com in honor of the colossal squid's 100th birthday www.deepseapod.com/episodes/056...

Ooooo yeah, one more piece for our upcoming show in Juneau Alaska! A deep-sea octopus, titled “Living the Kaleidoscope Life” this 16x20” acrylic on canvas is based on deep sea footage taken by NOAA off the coast of Alaska in 2023 #deepsea #deepseacreatures #octopus 🦑🐡 #sciart #womenartists #painting

@thomaslinley.com

4 valentines in a grid, a pelican eel with the words "You make my jaw drop", an anglerfish that says "You're my light in the darkness", a grimalditeuthis that says "I find you a LURE ing" and two octopuses and a snailfish on the skeleton of a whale that says "I've Whale Fallen for you" lmao. The octopuses are making a heart with their arms together.

You ready for our 2026 Valentines??

The art is ready for ya 😍

As with everything on our shop, sales of these valentines support @skypeascientist.bsky.social!

This year's cards were designed by Philly artist @aprilfinfrock.bsky.social! Obsessed with how these turned out.

order at SquidFacts.net

Art stamp on watercolor: two large squid form a circle surrounding the ESCA camera system logo

Welcome to #ProjectESCA season 2! A week from tomorrow, @thomaslinley.com of the @deepseapod.com & I sail for Antarctica for 5 weeks with Aurora Expeditions, with our deep-sea camera system and a few new toys as well. With a little luck, we'll have some exciting to stories to share; stay tuned!

Beefy! But definitely octopus, not squid. I think likely Haliphron

Clearly amazing appearance around 888m in #MarDelPlataCanyon: Amphitretus sp. This telescope octopus has adapted to live in a place where there is nowhere to hide but in plain sight. Deep gratitude to @autsquidsquad.bsky.social for species ID. Description on Insta: www.instagram.com/reel/DNittGh...

Graneledone. @schmidtocean.bsky.social dive 812 #MarDelPlataCanyon #MarineLife

Me and @autsquidsquad.bsky.social have been annotating @schmidtocean.bsky.social #Antarctic footage today and it may have driven us a little.... Strange.

#soundon
#Cephalopods #octopus #antarctica

snailfish lino print with the words Protect the deep sea

quick test print 🐡 ...
have to do some corrections

And a teensy glass squid (cranchiid), Liocranchia
#SQXmas2025

#SQXmas2025 continues. On the larger end of the scale, a hefty warty hooked squid, Onykia sp.

We've had a couple of cock-eyed or jeweled squid species (family Histioteuthidae); this is a nice H. macrohista, one of the more extreme examples of tiny mantle (yes, that's the whole thing!) compared to head & arms. See also distinctive long arm-tip photophores. #SQXmas2025

This is a young Moroteuthopsis, a warty hooked squid (family Onychoteuthidae)

This year's Squidmas samples are from sub-Antarctic waters. This is Galiteuthis, a 'glass' squid (Cranchiidae, same family the colossal squid). There are undescribed species in this genus so looking forward to genetic results! #SQXmas2025

Day 1 of #SQXmas2025 started with this inspirational message

Merry Squidmas Eve! Tomorrow we dive into the NIWA/Earth Sciences NZ freezers once again to discover what deep-sea cephs they've wrapped up for us. We've been very good this year so hoping for some exciting specimens! Stay tuned 🦑🐙🎁

Glass squids including colossal are tougher than they look. Some of the transparent pelagic octos are really delicate but the squids are a little more robust.

A century after its discovery, scientists capture first confirmed footage of a colossal squid in the deep The first confirmed footage of a juvenile colossal squid in its natural habitat shows a delicate and graceful animal – far from the “monster” narrative we see all too often.

Young colossal squid footage!

theconversation.com/a-century-af...

YouTube video by Schmidt Ocean Colossal Squid, 1st Live Observation | Searching for New Species in the South Sandwich Islands

#ColossalSquid has been filmed in its natural habitat for the first time!
Filmed in #Antarctica by @schmidtocean.bsky.social, we just had a press conference to share the news. @autsquidsquad.bsky.social provides the voiceover and context for the video. youtu.be/lzPoG9H8Hlo

@pure-ocean.bsky.social

First Confirmed Footage of a Colossal Squid—and it’s a Baby! - Schmidt Ocean Institute One hundred years after its discovery, the colossal squid has been filmed alive in its environment for the first time by a team on board Schmidt Ocean Institute’s R/V Falkor (too) in waters off the So...

Dr Kat Bolstad (@autsquidsquad.bsky.social ) worked with glass squid expert Dr. Aaron Evans to help confirm this observation; she narrated this video. Read the full Schmidt Ocean Institute announcement here: schmidtocean.org/first-coloss...

Even squid love calamari. @schmidtocean.bsky.social dive 805 #SouthSandwichIslands #MarineLife

Idk what it is holding, but great shot of the tentacles! @schmidtocean.bsky.social dive 805 #SouthSandwichIslands #MarineLife

Fantastic images of this squid! @schmidtocean.bsky.social dive 805 #SouthSandwichIslands #MarineLife

Tiny little opisthoteuthis blinking. Thanks @jeffday.bsky.social for the ID! @schmidtocean.bsky.social dive 805 #SouthSandwichIslands #MarineLife

One last moroteuthopsis for the end of the Expedition. Next one starts in July. @schmidtocean.bsky.social dive 805 #SouthSandwichIslands #MarineLife