iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

AUT Squid Squad @autsquidsquad.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

After an epic weekend of rounding up the final gear for #ProjectESCA season 2, @thomaslinley.com and I join Aurora Expeditions' MV Douglas Mawson today to start our next Antarctic squidchasing adventure!

A small x-bow expedition vessel in port in Otepoti Dunedin, awaiting its next adventure

031

AUT Squid Squad @autsquidsquad.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

#ProjectESCA has arrived in Dunedin to make final preparations before we sail out for Antarctica on Monday to go squidchasing. @thomaslinley.com and I are hoping this is a good omen...

061

AUT Squid Squad @autsquidsquad.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

T -5 days to the next voyage! Want to know the story of #ProjectESCA? @thomaslinley.com and I chatted about how we got here on the @deepseapod.com in honor of the colossal squid's 100th birthday www.deepseapod.com/episodes/056...

The #ProjectESCA team flank a life-sized plush colossal squid on a sofa in a ship lounge. A mysterious cardboard hammerhead shark hat lurks behind

0205

Reposted by AUT Squid Squad

Meghan Jones @studio-mbj.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

Ooooo yeah, one more piece for our upcoming show in Juneau Alaska! A deep-sea octopus, titled “Living the Kaleidoscope Life” this 16x20” acrylic on canvas is based on deep sea footage taken by NOAA off the coast of Alaska in 2023 #deepsea #deepseacreatures #octopus 🦑🐡 #sciart #womenartists #painting

312232

Reposted by AUT Squid Squad

Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 28/12/2025

You ready for our 2026 Valentines?? The art is ready for ya 😍 As with everything on our shop, sales of these valentines support @skypeascientist.bsky.social! This year's cards were designed by Philly artist @aprilfinfrock.bsky.social! Obsessed with how these turned out. order at SquidFacts.net

4 valentines in a grid, a pelican eel with the words "You make my jaw drop", an anglerfish that says "You're my light in the darkness", a grimalditeuthis that says "I find you a LURE ing" and two octopuses and a snailfish on the skeleton of a whale that says "I've Whale Fallen for you" lmao. The octopuses are making a heart with their arms together.

24913307

AUT Squid Squad @autsquidsquad.bsky.social · 01/02/2026

Welcome to #ProjectESCA season 2! A week from tomorrow, @thomaslinley.com of the @deepseapod.com & I sail for Antarctica for 5 weeks with Aurora Expeditions, with our deep-sea camera system and a few new toys as well. With a little luck, we'll have some exciting to stories to share; stay tuned!

032

Reposted by AUT Squid Squad

Schmidt Ocean Institute @schmidtocean.bsky.social · 19/08/2025

Clearly amazing appearance around 888m in #MarDelPlataCanyon: Amphitretus sp. This telescope octopus has adapted to live in a place where there is nowhere to hide but in plain sight. Deep gratitude to @autsquidsquad.bsky.social for species ID. Description on Insta: www.instagram.com/reel/DNittGh...

615643

Reposted by AUT Squid Squad

Dr Thom @thomaslinley.com · 18/07/2025

Me and @autsquidsquad.bsky.social have been annotating @schmidtocean.bsky.social #Antarctic footage today and it may have driven us a little.... Strange. #soundon #Cephalopods #octopus #antarctica

063

Reposted by AUT Squid Squad

Ligus @greyauk.bsky.social · 17/07/2025

quick test print 🐡 ... have to do some corrections

snailfish lino print with the words
Protect the deep sea

729981

AUT Squid Squad @autsquidsquad.bsky.social · 16/07/2025

And a teensy glass squid (cranchiid), Liocranchia #SQXmas2025

0247

AUT Squid Squad @autsquidsquad.bsky.social · 16/07/2025

#SQXmas2025 continues. On the larger end of the scale, a hefty warty hooked squid, Onykia sp.

0164

AUT Squid Squad @autsquidsquad.bsky.social · 14/07/2025

We've had a couple of cock-eyed or jeweled squid species (family Histioteuthidae); this is a nice H. macrohista, one of the more extreme examples of tiny mantle (yes, that's the whole thing!) compared to head & arms. See also distinctive long arm-tip photophores. #SQXmas2025

085

AUT Squid Squad @autsquidsquad.bsky.social · 14/07/2025

This is a young Moroteuthopsis, a warty hooked squid (family Onychoteuthidae)

0105

AUT Squid Squad @autsquidsquad.bsky.social · 14/07/2025

This year's Squidmas samples are from sub-Antarctic waters. This is Galiteuthis, a 'glass' squid (Cranchiidae, same family the colossal squid). There are undescribed species in this genus so looking forward to genetic results! #SQXmas2025

096

AUT Squid Squad @autsquidsquad.bsky.social · 14/07/2025

Day 1 of #SQXmas2025 started with this inspirational message

040

AUT Squid Squad @autsquidsquad.bsky.social · 13/07/2025

Merry Squidmas Eve! Tomorrow we dive into the NIWA/Earth Sciences NZ freezers once again to discover what deep-sea cephs they've wrapped up for us. We've been very good this year so hoping for some exciting specimens! Stay tuned 🦑🐙🎁

030

Reposted by AUT Squid Squad

Dr Thom @thomaslinley.com · 16/04/2025

#ColossalSquid has been filmed in its natural habitat for the first time! Filmed in #Antarctica by @schmidtocean.bsky.social, we just had a press conference to share the news. @autsquidsquad.bsky.social provides the voiceover and context for the video. youtu.be/lzPoG9H8Hlo @pure-ocean.bsky.social

youtu.be

Colossal Squid, 1st Live Observation | Searching for New Species in the South Sandwich Islands

YouTube video by Schmidt Ocean

0204

Reposted by AUT Squid Squad

Lisa @tuexplorer1.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

Idk what it is holding, but great shot of the tentacles! @schmidtocean.bsky.social dive 805 #SouthSandwichIslands #MarineLife

0184

Reposted by AUT Squid Squad

Lisa @tuexplorer1.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

Fantastic images of this squid! @schmidtocean.bsky.social dive 805 #SouthSandwichIslands #MarineLife

1377

Reposted by AUT Squid Squad

Lisa @tuexplorer1.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

Tiny little opisthoteuthis blinking. Thanks @jeffday.bsky.social for the ID! @schmidtocean.bsky.social dive 805 #SouthSandwichIslands #MarineLife

36922

Reposted by AUT Squid Squad

Lisa @tuexplorer1.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

One last moroteuthopsis for the end of the Expedition. Next one starts in July. @schmidtocean.bsky.social dive 805 #SouthSandwichIslands #MarineLife

03811

Reposted by AUT Squid Squad

Dr Thom @thomaslinley.com · 20/03/2025

A huge thanks to #IntrepidTravel for having me and @autsquidsquad.bsky.social aboard to deploy our #ProjectESCA #squid lure in #Antartica.

062

Reposted by AUT Squid Squad

Lisa @tuexplorer1.bsky.social · 10/03/2025

Cute little octo with leeches. Pareledone maybe. @schmidtocean.bsky.social dive 803 #SouthSandwichIslands #MarineLife

0409

Reposted by AUT Squid Squad

Lisa @tuexplorer1.bsky.social · 15/03/2025

This little octo is having the day of its life!! All you can eat krill buffet for the win. @schmidtocean.bsky.social dive 804 #SouthSandwichIslands #MarineLife

0362

Reposted by AUT Squid Squad

Keishu Asada @cephwarden.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

A cyanea in the shallows. The video is from last summer. A lot of the corals seen here are now dead due to bleaching.

412022

AUT Squid Squad @autsquidsquad.bsky.social · 10/03/2025

@schmidtocean.bsky.social just filmed a beautiful Antarctic glass squid (cranchiid) with hooks on the tentacles. Only two possibilities and one is the colossal squid, Mesonychoteuthis. Hard to be sure whether arm hooks are present (which would confirm colossal) but the clubs look right!

2194

AUT Squid Squad @autsquidsquad.bsky.social · 10/03/2025

Happy bday colossal squid! The species was described in 1925 so @deepseapod.com & I did a centenary episode on the @deepseapodcast.bsky.social - www.armatusoceanic.com/podcast/056-... 🦑🎉 Gorgeous artwork thanks to Gareth, a guest on our recent #Antarctic voyage with #IntrepidTravel for #ProjectESCA

Black-and-white ink drawing of a colossal squid holding a birthday cake

03312

Reposted by AUT Squid Squad

Dr Thom @thomaslinley.com · 06/03/2025

A nice side effect of joining #IntrepidTravel is the chance for #scicomm - talks on #ProjectESCA & #colossalsquid. Loving the guest engagement and #fanart! Last night they were on the @deepseapodcast.bsky.social @autsquidsquad.bsky.social @pure-ocean.bsky.social #Te_Papa @autnews.bsky.social

Kat Bolstad gives a lecture in the lounge aboard the Ocean Endeavour. A life-sized plush colossal squid joins her on stage.

Some of the fan art we have gotten from guests. Drawings and stories about squid and fish.

Thom Linley gives a lecture in the lounge aboard the Ocean Endeavour.

051

AUT Squid Squad @autsquidsquad.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

Master Squidcrafter Heather has been at it again. Not sure #IntrepidTravel realized just what they were in for by having the #ProjectESCA team aboard--we brought a rather large stowaway! #colossalsquid @deepseapod.bsky.social @pure-ocean.bsky.social @AUTnews.bsky.social #Antarctica #deepsea

Two scientists and a full-sized stuffed colossal squid on a couch aboard a ship

12610

Reposted by AUT Squid Squad

Dr Thom @thomaslinley.com · 03/03/2025

It's happening! @autsquidsquad.bsky.social and I are out with #IntrepidTravel deploying #ProjectESCA in search of the #ColossalSquid. Supported by @pure-ocean.bsky.social, #Te_Papa and #AutScience, we have developed a suitcase-sized light lure and camera system. #deepsea #deepocean #Antarctica

Thom Linley and Kat Bolstad stand in front of an open hatch in safety gear. The ocean and icebergs are visible through it.

6536

AUT Squid Squad @autsquidsquad.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

We're off! Setting sail for Antarctica to chase some squids with the #ProjectESCA camera system and @deepseapod.com, thanks to @pureocean.bsky.social and Intrepid Travel. Bring me that horizon!

A ship's bow sailing out of the Beagle Channel under moody clouds

0143

AUT Squid Squad @autsquidsquad.bsky.social · 24/02/2025

Good thing the ones I'm after aren't usually at the beach! Beagle Channel / Tierra del Fuego National Park. (Could I pick up an urchin test or crab moult though?)

Wooden sign at a scenic beach specifically prohibiting the collecting of molluscs

030

AUT Squid Squad @autsquidsquad.bsky.social · 20/02/2025

Ceph street art sighting! Spotted these arms on the side of a building in Ushuaia, Argentina, while out and about with @deepseapod.com as we prep to take #ProjectESCA to the Antarctic Peninsula next week

Large mural of marine life including mammals, octopus and a sea star

0122

Reposted by AUT Squid Squad

Danna Staaf @dannastaaf.bsky.social · 10/02/2025

My latest newsletter covers a new understanding of cuttlefish ink and shark noses, as well as a shout-out to the @autsquidsquad.bsky.social CephRef project 🦑🐙 buttondown.com/dannastaaf/a...

buttondown.com

The OctoPost: Stinky Ink, Schools, and a Beanie

I’ve been loving World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments by Aimee Nezhukumatathil. It has a wonderfully whimsical...

0112

AUT Squid Squad @autsquidsquad.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

Gorgeous male octo (maybe Muusoctopus rigbyae?) at about 1120m in the Antarctic

0135

AUT Squid Squad @autsquidsquad.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

Super cool observation of a rarely observed deep-sea squid, Alluroteuthis antarcticus. Extra beautiful footage too! @deepseapod.com can we ID the fish prey?

184

AUT Squid Squad @autsquidsquad.bsky.social · 01/02/2025

Close Inkounter! #ProjectESCA gets its next squiddy visitor, a glacial squid (P. glacialis) around 800m. It gifts us a few puffs of ink, then drifts back into the dark Antarctic #deepsea. #antarcticclimateconnections #PureOceanFund @schmidtocean.bsky.social @deepseapod.com

0124

Reposted by AUT Squid Squad

Lisa @tuexplorer1.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

Look at this Cirroctopus! This one is doing something! I'm not quite sure what it is doing, but it is something. @schmidtocean.bsky.social dive 783 #AntarcticClimateConnections #MarineLife

1259

Reposted by AUT Squid Squad

Lisa @tuexplorer1.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

Dive is over, but here's a few things I forgot to share earlier. @schmidtocean.bsky.social dive 784 #AntarcticClimateConnections #MarineLife

Bumpy textured red octopus lying flat against the seafloor blending in very well.

Light orangish 6-armed seastar with a red mark in the center.

Light pink 5-armed sea star lying on the sediment.

1205

Reposted by AUT Squid Squad

Lisa @tuexplorer1.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

Brisingid with a little amphipod, Cirroctopus, sponge, bryozoan & shrimp. @schmidtocean.bsky.social dive 785 #AntarcticClimateConnections #MarineLife

Close up of the bristle like prink arms of a brisingid sea star.

Dark red octopus with little Dumbo ears and a blobby squatty body.

White lace shaped animal with a pink amphipod sitting on it and a little red shrimp to the right.

14812

Reposted by AUT Squid Squad

Lisa @tuexplorer1.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

Sea pig with a fish friend, isopod that looks a lot like a trilobite, giant hydroid, & a cirroctopus lump. @schmidtocean.bsky.social dive 786 #AntarcticClimateConnections #MarineLife

Small pink sea cucumber with a little fish sitting on its back.

Hydroid with a long white stalk with pink tentacles at the top in a flower pattern.

Dark colored octopus Octopus that looks like a squishy blob.

35514

Reposted by AUT Squid Squad

Lisa @tuexplorer1.bsky.social · 01/02/2025

A red Squid-shaped-squid playing with its food. Psychroteuthis glacialis is what we've been seeing, so maybe that? @schmidtocean.bsky.social dive 788 #AntarcticClimateConnections #MarineLife

0233

AUT Squid Squad @autsquidsquad.bsky.social · 01/02/2025

With our new deep-sea low-light camera on #ProjectESCA, we can see #bioluminescence as well as the animals illuminated by our lights. This might be a 'shrimp spew', a series of blobs of glowing mucous produced as a decoy to give the animal a chance to escape a perceived threat

051