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This small and abundant species undergoes a daily vertical migration, with Gonatus onyx spending the day at great depths and then rising to feed at night.
Gonatus onyx shows an ontogenetic down migration, with larger, more mature individuals moving to deeper waters.
Mature females incubating egg masses in their arms have recently been observed by ROVs at great depths (1,539 - 2,522 meters) off California .
The gelatinous egg mass matrix contains between 2,000 and 3,000 eggs, the females periodically aerate the eggs and appear to agitate them to encourage hatching.
At these depths, the water temperature is low (1.7 - 3.0 ºC), so the eggs probably take 6 - 9 months to develop embryologically.
Interestingly, a female was observed incubating the eggs in shallow water, suggesting that they may migrate to surface waters to hatch
The young swarm in large numbers, but become increasingly solitary as they mature.
Occurrence: Among other places, in the area of the Davidson Seamount off the coast of central California.
Gonatus onyx shows an ontogenetic down migration, with larger, more mature individuals moving to deeper waters.
Mature females incubating egg masses in their arms have recently been observed by ROVs at great depths (1,539 - 2,522 meters) off California .
The gelatinous egg mass matrix contains between 2,000 and 3,000 eggs, the females periodically aerate the eggs and appear to agitate them to encourage hatching.
At these depths, the water temperature is low (1.7 - 3.0 ºC), so the eggs probably take 6 - 9 months to develop embryologically.
Interestingly, a female was observed incubating the eggs in shallow water, suggesting that they may migrate to surface waters to hatch
The young swarm in large numbers, but become increasingly solitary as they mature.
Occurrence: Among other places, in the area of the Davidson Seamount off the coast of central California.
