Squids are some of the most fascinating and diverse deep-sea animals. In this collection of short video clips, MBARI biologists highlight some of their favorite video clips of deep-sea squids. These squids were videotaped at depths ranging from 300 to 1,000 meters (about 1,000 to 3,300 feet) below the ocean surface.

These squids are all predators, but they hunt different types of prey and use different strategies to catch their prey. Fast-moving squids, such as the Humboldt squid and market squid, are active predators, which chase down mobile prey such as fish or shrimp. Other squids, such as the Black-eyed squid, are “sit-and-wait predators,” which hang motionless in the water, waiting for prey to swim past.

In the upper right-hand corner of each video clip is a letter that indicates what species of squid in the clip. Here’s a key to the different species and what we think they might be doing:

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