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Squid on the Menu

June 19, 2018

Loligo pealii, the ordinary squid, is a kind of floating buffet that feeds fish, birds, seals, dolphins, many whales, and even humans. Despite this, scientists know remarkably little about how squid find their way beneath the surface—what senses they rely on to navigate, avoid danger, find food, and perhaps even communicate—or how changes to the ocean might affect their life cycle and behavior. WHOI biologist Aran Mooney has found that, not only do squid rely on sound under water, but that the organ they use to detect acoustic energy can be affected by ocean acidification. (Photo by Tom Kleindinst, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)