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The Hawaiian Bobtail Squid is nocturnal which means it only hunts in the cloak of darkness. However, moonlight has the potential to ruin the squid’s evening if something were not done. You see, the light from the moon shining down on the Bobtail Squid casts a shadow onto the sea floor below which alerts predators (and prey) to the squid’s presence. To counter this effect, the Hawaiian Bobtail Squid uses its light organ which contains specialized proteins in its belly that reflect light given off by luminescent bacteria that live on the squid. Basically, the squid beams down a ray of light (practically invisible to the naked eye) that camouflages it by removing the dark shadow of its body.
Night isn’t the only time when the squid is being clever. During the day the Bobtail Squid buries itself in the sand and then covers its peaking eyes with sand heaped up by its tentacles. When it does emerge at night, it keeps a thin layer of sand on top of its body (a “sand coat” you might say) for camouflage as well.
Check out this short amateur video of the squid burying itself. It’s pretty funny the way it uses its tentacles to cover his eyes up!
