Since the mysterious finger-shaped clear blob has been found on the coast of North Carolina a few months ago, people have been speculating what type of species it is.
The Cape Lookout National Seashore posted an image of the mysterious blob on the Facebook page of the National Park Service and asked the public if anyone knows what it is, with some saying that it was a squid in the shape of fingers with clear sacks and white eggs.
"It was found a few months ago on the beach," the government agency wrote on Facebook. "So far it has escaped being identified - although it might be something like the egg sacks of a squid (but we aren't sure). Anyone want to take a stab at identifying it for us?"
Similar Finger-Shaped Clear Blobs Spotted in the Beaches on West Coast
Lately, similar finger-shaped clear blobs were also spotted on the West Coast. The Oregon Coast Aquarium has been receiving inquiries regarding the translucent sacs that are found along the Oregon coast.
The clear blob is found in a cluster that resembles a bunch of grapes and if observed closely, they have a honeycomb-like pattern within them. It provides the main clue that it is an egg sac and could contain tiny eggs inside, specifically the eggs of Loligo opalescens, or the market squid
Squid expert Dr. Louis Zeidberg from California State University in Monterey Bay said that these clear blobs seen on the West Coast belong to the poorly studied California market squid.
"There's also an Atlantic species, which is slightly bigger and was separated from this species when Panama closed up," Zeidberg said in an interview with the aquarium authorities. "While more oceanic squid, like jumbo squid, make amorphous blobs that sort of float in the open ocean, nearshore squid such as these make a heartier capsule."
He added that these egg sacs are produced in shallow water where there are waves and surge. Their protective coating keeps them from getting smushed, and possibly bacteria from the mother that provides an anti-predator or anti-microbial defense.
ALSO READ : Secrets of Kraken Giant Squid That Allegedly Drags Sailors and Ships Revealed, Are They Really Dangerous?
Market Squid Eggs Covering the Entire Ocean Floor
Zeidberg noted that the Atlantic market squid has chemicals within their capsule sheets that act as sexually activating pheromones. It allows other squids, who have not yet mated, to rub their bodies to females, Daily Mail reported.
According to Anecdata, the presence of eggs on the bottom stimulates other female squids to lay eggs on the same location that is why egg sacs are placed in masses that sometimes could cover an entire ocean floor.
However, little is known about market squids. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the population of market squids is poorly understood. The US government has no estimated number of their population.
Unfortunately, market squids do not live for long, just about six and nine months, because fishermen hunt them shortly after reproduction. But still, NOAA added that the entire population is replaced with new ones and can still handle a high amount of fishing pressure.
Meanwhile, a Pacific market squid can reach a length of 1ft and are commonly found in as far south as Baja, California, and all they to Alaska.
RELATED ARTICLE : Rare Giant Squid's Hunting Behavior Caught in Camera for the First Time, 2,500 Feet Under the Sea
Check out more news and information on Squids on Science Times.
