Presenting the world's cutest cephalopod (and friends)!

That incongruously cute animal is a 'piglet squid,' a member of the genus Helicocranchia. The photo was submitted by Alan Kinnear for the BP Kongsberg Underwater Image Competition 2006, hosted by SERPENT- the Scientific & Environmental ROV Partnership using Existing Industrial Technology.

Now check out these guys!


This photo, of two Chimaera monstrosa and a Cidaris urchin, was submitted by a Kerry Howell of the University of Plymouth. Pretty neat. Check out the other contest entries to see some very unusual specimens of marine life. The microscopic/specimen images category features some breath-takingly gorgeous imagery.

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