Decoding the secret language of Humboldt squid

Humboldt squid (Dosidicus gigas) are formidable predators, whose group foraging often resembles a feeding frenzy. Despite this free-for-all appearance, foraging Humboldt squid generally avoid direct contact or physical competition for prey. New research by MBARI suggests that, as they hunt, these squid communicate with each other using changing patterns of light and dark pigment on their skin. The changes are visible even in the darkest depths of the ocean because the squids’ entire bodies glow in the dark, so the pigment patterns are backlit like words on the screen of a handheld electronic device.

The squid exhibit changing color patterns most often when they are interacting with one another in groups. This suggests that their pigmentation changes may be an effective means of communication, analogous to humans using turn signals in traffic. Though the meaning of the signals remains unknown, this research suggests that Humboldt squids use changes in body patterns as a consistent and effective means of communication in the deep.

Rewatch the video to see how many color patterns you can spot in the squid surrounding the highlighted ones.

Publication referenced:
Burford, B. and Robison, B. H. (2020). Bioluminescent backlighting illuminates the complex visual signals of a social squid in the deep sea. PNAS, March 23, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1920875117