Rare Deep-Sea Squid Filmed Carrying Thousands of Eggs Off Chile's Coast
Finn's Take· TL;DR- Black-eyed squid mothers brood 3,000 eggs for 6-9 months without eating, making them vulnerable to predators in deep ocean.
- Rare footage captured off Chile shows squid continuously pumping oxygen through eggs while remaining nearly motionless at extreme depths.
- Only handful of brooding squid sightings documented since 2005; each discovery helps scientists understand deep-sea reproduction and behavior.
A Mother Like No Other
Somewhere in the dark, cold waters off the coast of Chile, a squid glided slowly across the seafloor — and she wasn't alone. Suspended from her arms, she carried a massive, billowing cluster of eggs. Scientists with the Schmidt Ocean Institute captured the extraordinary moment on camera, and the footage has left marine biologists both astonished and deeply moved. This is the black-eyed squid, and what she was doing is one of the most remarkable acts of parental devotion in the entire animal kingdom.
Most squid lay their eggs on the seafloor and don't provide any parental care. The black-eyed squid (*Gonatus onyx*) is one of the few species that brood their eggs. That distinction alone makes any sighting of this behavior extraordinary. Since 2005, there have only been a handful of times that a brooding black-eyed squid has been captured on camera — making the footage taken by the Schmidt Ocean Institute off the coast of Chile special and rare indeed.
Thousands of Eggs, Months of Sacrifice
A female *Gonatus onyx* will carry her large egg mass for months, keeping it suspended from hooks on the squid's arms. "It is a dangerous time," the Schmidt Ocean Institute noted — "brooding squid cannot move very quickly, and may be easy prey for deep-diving marine mammals." The sheer vulnerability of this creature during brooding makes the footage all the more striking.
There are up to 3,000 eggs in the cluster. The incubation time could be around six to nine months, and the expectant mother will keep pumping water over her eggs the entire time to make sure they have a good oxygen supply. During this time, as the eggs continue to grow, the female squid uses all her energy to carry them. They are never put down. This means the mother squid does not eat.
Brooding squid are neutrally buoyant but unable to swim quickly. Although they move even deeper than usual when brooding, they are vulnerable to predation by deep-diving marine mammals such as whales and some seals — all the more so because, as the eggs mature, the mother uses up her stored energy sources and grows progressively weaker. It is, in the most literal sense, a race against time.
A Window Into the Unknown Deep
The footage was captured during one of the Schmidt Ocean Institute's ongoing deep-sea expeditions off Chile, a region that has proven to be a treasure trove for marine discovery. A recent exploratory expedition by the Schmidt Ocean Institute on its research vessel *Falkor (too)* targeted nearly 20 natural underwater gas leaks and five deep-sea canyons off the coast of Chile. Along the way, the research team used its underwater robot to spot a trove of remarkable characters, including 60 that may be new to science.
Suspended from the squid's arms by hooks, the female carries her brood of roughly 3,000 eggs at depths of 5,000 to 7,000 feet. She uses her tentacles to push water through the egg cases, providing them with oxygen. The mechanics of this behavior are as ingenious as they are touching — a living, breathing incubator navigating one of Earth's most hostile environments.
Why This Sighting Matters
The black-eyed squid carries and broods its eggs for several months and is one of only two confirmed species known to take care of their offspring after spawning. That rarity is precisely what makes this footage so valuable to scientists. Every documented sighting adds a piece to a puzzle that researchers have barely begun to assemble.
During the early stages of brooding, the black-eyed squid has the strength to make stealthy getaways if predators get too close. However, as the months go by, not eating begins to take its toll. The squid becomes weak and can struggle to escape those who want to eat them or their eggs. And yet the species endures. As deep-sea exploration technology continues to improve and expeditions push further into uncharted waters, scientists expect that more of these fleeting, intimate moments from the abyss will finally come to light — reshaping what we think we know about life in the deep ocean.