During the presentation by Society members at our September 2023 meeting, I mentioned that I had some video footage (of a ‘squadron’) of squid taken during a night dive at Port Noarlunga reef.
(A still of my squid sighting)
The video footage is available on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEWy9Ffta1Q.
The ‘squadron’ forms at about time = 0:41 sec (I think a group of squid is properly called a “shoal”, however I prefer to call them a “squadron” or “fleet”, like jet fighters!).
(According to Bing, “According to 3 sources, 1.“Generally, a group of squid is called squad, school or shoal. There are a few other collective nouns for this marine creature such as conspiracy and audience. The term squad is not yet accepted officially.” 2.” Though a group of squid is known as a shoal or a school of squid (also used for other marine animals, such as fish), a better collective noun is under consideration in the world of science: squad.” 3.(Ditto).)
(A still of my squid sighting)
Some of the behaviours of the squid observed were amazing. I needed to get very close for these GoPro video shots, about as close as 1m or less in some shots.
Also note the sea mouse at 1:05 of video, and the Beaked Salmon in the distance at 2:01, and a Pt Jackson shark swam to me at 2:15, it got so close to me it bumped me!
(A still of my seamouse* sighting)
* (Family Aphroditidae)
I liked the idea of someone speaking on a marine topic in MLSSA meetings, like last time, it was a good discussion on squid behaviour at local beaches.
David Muirhead said, “I really enjoyed this video.
My unrestrained imagination even made me wonder if the gene pool of Southern Calamari Squid (I still prefer the now abandoned inaturalist name,
Southern Reef Squid,but that’s another story) incorporates a flexibility akin to that of Homo sapiens.
To wit, the ability to include neurodiverse and even neurodivergent individuals within a school ( squadron, or whatever ).
Firstly, they’re highly intelligent.
Secondly, in some brief moments in the clip, it looks as if one or two individuals have difficulty matching the majority’s behavioural nuances! Learning, always learning, in their oh so short lives.
Like our own kids’ developmental variations, which are influenced by numerous ‘nature vs nurture ‘ factors such as L vs R handedness, autism spectrum ‘disorders ‘, and personality types and personality ‘disorders ‘.
All of these variations have strong genetic underpinnings. Which would suggest that whatever genes are involved, their continuing presence in successive generations confers an overall species survival advantage.
At great cost to the survival of affected individuals (or at least reduced of life, where humans are concerned), but that is inherent in evolutionary theory’s principles.
Conclusion:- some squid face sacrifice, for the benefit of the school and, longer term, for the sake of their species’ continuing existence.
We humans sometimes describe the above as “Taking one for the team “.”