Just when we begin to think we’ve seen all the wonderful weirdness that the internet has to offer, something comes along and surprises us. This time, it’s a video of microscopic squid embryos coming to life. Even if that doesn’t sound especially mesmerizing, we promise you: the video below is one of the coolest things we’ve seen in a while.
This video comes to us courtesy of a recent post on, of all places, Laughing Squid (via The Kid Should See This) and shows the beauty of teeny tiny cephalopods in the early stages of life. Nipam H. Patel, a developmental biologist at the Patel Lab at UC Berkeley, uploaded this and other beautiful videos to his Vimeo channel showing off development of a wide range of creatures most might otherwise think were, well, gross. The video above is an edited version of “Squid: Coming to Life,†that was made with images and videos from the Woods Hole Embryology course. The slightly longer version (below) includes some additional images and is just as mesmerizing.
What’s particularly interesting in both videos is how the footage of the baby squids as they start to move seems so similar other creatures in early development. It’s most likely just us projecting, but seeing them bump around their surroundings and begin to use their chromatophores for the first time is like seeing a baby take its first steps. Only, you know, a little less cute. (Just a little.)
What do you think of the footage of these squidly diddlies? Let’s talk about it over some calamari in the comments below!
Image: Vimeo |Â Nipam H. Patel
Want more weird animal fun? Well…
- The deepstaria jellyfish is the lava lamp of the sea
- Chameleon tongues in slo-mo are beautiful (but gross)
- The hellbender salamander is essentially Stranger Things‘ Dart
