Kosmoceras

Figure. Two photographs of the same Taonius borealis showing eye orientation. Left - Anterior view with laterally oriented eyes. Right - Anterior-oblique view with anteriorly oriented eyes. Photographs © 2011 MBARI.

This squid is Taonius borealis, a species of deep-sea glass squid whose arms are always tucked up in a fancy pompadour.

It can also see your pathetic, wretched soul

It can also see into forever.

This remarkable animal was discovered at a depth near 2,500 meters in Monterey Bay. It has been tentatively classified as a nudibranch but it is unlike any other member of that group ever described.

Thass right. It’s a deep-sea dwelling, pelagic nudibranch, which so far has been informally dubbed as ‘Mystery Mollusk’ by Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) crews circa 2002. There should be a scientific literature about this beauty by now, though I confess I haven’t got access to any. The hand-like appendage seems to be an oral hood like the one on genus Melibe in my opinion. I could be wrong