Undersea surprise: Big-eyed squid looks more toy than animal

This Aug. 10, 2016, image provided by OET/NautilusLive shows a stubby squid on the ocean floor near Channel Islands National Park west of Los Angeles, Calif. The team of scientists that discovered the cephalopod that is closely related to a cuttlefish is part of a four-month Ocean Exploration Trust expedition to map fault zones and understand ecosystems around them. (OET/NautilusLive via AP) This Aug. 10, 2016, image provided by OET/NautilusLive shows a stubby squid on the ocean floor near Channel Islands National Park west of Los Angeles, Calif. The team of scientists that discovered the cephalopod that is closely related to a cuttlefish is part of a four-month Ocean Exploration Trust expedition to map fault zones and understand ecosystems around them. (OET/NautilusLive via AP)

By Associated Press August 19, 2016 2 min read

A team of scientists and technicians scanning the rocky ocean floor off Southern California couldn’t contain their excitement when they spotted a bright-purple, googly-eyed stubby squid.

They let out a collective “whoa” on video posted on the Exploration Vessel Nautilus’ Facebook page as a camera on a remote-operated vehicle came across the iridescent cephalopod with giant round eyes.

Then the jokes started. “He has weird eyes!” said one enthusiastic observer. “Get close! Get close!” urges another.

One suggested it resembled a child’s dropped toy, and another said the creature’s eyes appeared to be painted on.

“It looks so fake,” says one member of the Nautilus’ team.