Invertebrates
Piglet Squid
Helicocranchia pfefferi · also called piglet squid
Hovering almost motionless in open water with a small, round, translucent body and two tiny fins on top, a piglet squid has earned internet fame for looking uncannily like a cartoon piglet drifting through the deep sea.
Overview
The piglet squid, Helicocranchia pfefferi, is a small, balloon-bodied cephalopod native to tropical and temperate ocean habitat recorded across multiple ocean basins worldwide. Its distinctive rounded shape, effortless buoyancy control, and status as a favourite subject of deep-sea exploration footage make it one of the more instantly recognisable and widely shared cephalopods found anywhere in the ocean.
Floating without swimming
Rather than expending energy swimming constantly, the piglet squid relies on an internal chamber of buoyant fluid to hover nearly motionless in open water, conserving energy in an environment where food can be scarce and hard to come by.
Status
Least Concern, though population trends remain largely unknown given the difficulty of surveying deep-sea habitat.
Piglet Squid: common questions
Why is it called the piglet squid?
This species has a small, nearly spherical, translucent body with two tiny fins near the top, a shape and posture that gives it an uncanny resemblance to a cartoon piglet, inspiring its common name.
How does the piglet squid hover without much effort?
This species can adjust its buoyancy using an internal chamber filled with ammonium-rich fluid that is lighter than seawater, allowing it to hover in place in open water with very little active swimming.
What are the glowing spots around a piglet squid's eyes for?
This species has small, bioluminescent light-producing organs positioned around its eyes, though scientists have not yet fully determined their exact function in the animal's behaviour or survival.
Do young and adult piglet squids live in the same part of the ocean?
Not exactly, younger individuals of this species are typically found closer to the surface, gradually moving into deeper water as they mature into adults.