Bobtail squid are the second smallest group of squid in the world and they only come out at night.

Scientists named a new species of squid after they found it off the coast of Japan. One member of the squid- finding team says that when they shine a light on them they freeze. They can easily catch in a hand net.

Bobtail squid adopt a fascinating form of camouflage during the day, making it easy for scientists to capture them. They bury themselves in the ocean and stick sand grains over their heads and bodies.

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As mining companies push to industrialise the sea floor and global leaders squabble over how to protect the high seas, a new Guardian Seascape series will profile some of the most recently discovered weird, wonderful, majestic, ridiculous, hardcore and mind blowing creatures. They show how little is known about the environment on Earth.

They have another trick in their arsenal if a predator still watches them. After releasing acid from their skin, they quickly shed their sandy coat, which hangs in the water as a decoy, to distract the attacker. The bobtail squid use a different form of disguise at night, camouflaging themselves against the light of the moon by using dim lights to illuminate their bellies.

Brenner’s bobtail squid

Brenner’s bobtail squid was named as a new species in 2019. Photograph: Gustavo Sanchez

Scientists began to sequence the squid's genes when they brought it to the lab. The Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology found one species that didn't match with others. The squid is different from the others. Females have larger suckers on their arms, something that has only been seen in males.

The new species is named after Prof. Sydney Brenner, who was a member of the team. The big-brained group of arthropods, including squid, octopuses and cuttlefish, were of particular interest to the man.

bobtail squid are much more peaceful and easy to keep in captivity compared to the aggressive octopuses. The relationship between humans and the organisms in our guts has been studied by scientists.

The evolution of the bobtail squid was revealed in a study. There are two groups that correspond to the new species. The other is in the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean.

The roots of these have different ones. When the ancient Tethys Sea was coming to an end, there were two different groups of bobtail squid.