Neon Flying Squid Glide Above the Ocean in Unprecedented Formation

Fifteen years ago, a Japanese research vessel observed a shoal of roughly 100 neon flying squid (*Ommastrephes bartramii*) rising from the Pacific Ocean about 370 miles west of Tokyo.

The Guardian

The neon flying squid, about the length of a rolling pin, belongs to a family of 20 flying-squid species known to leap from water. It achieves aerial movement using the hyponome, a muscular funnel that expels water in a jet, propelling the animal both underwater and into the air. Photographs show the animals with all ten arms splayed outward during flight. Their undersides feature a golden or silver stripe that may serve as camouflage. Neon flying squid inhabit the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans, undertake extensive migrations, and typically feed near the surface on fish and crustaceans. Their occasional emergence onto boats underscores the rarity of sustained aerial displays.

The Guardian

Biologist William Gilly of Stanford University, who has studied squid for decades, notes that while individual squid are “jittery and nervous,” they appear more social than octopuses. He has previously tagged a Humboldt squid—the largest flying squid—recording speeds of 10 metres per second (?36 km/h) as it escaped sea lions.

The Guardian

The coordinated glide may represent a predator-avoidance strategy, possibly against sharks, though the exact purpose remains uncertain. The observation expands knowledge of cephalopod locomotion and suggests that squid sociality could influence collective aerial behavior.

The Guardian

• “One squid alone is an unhappy creature, it’s jittery and nervous,” — William Gilly, a Stanford University biologist

The Guardian