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    An underwater journey reveals the strange birthing process of a deep-sea squid

    Not easily mistaken for their ‘giant’ cousins, Gonatus onyx are deep-sea squid that grow to just 18 centimetres in mantle length. These small creatures were once largely mysterious to scientists – it wasn’t until the early 21st century that marine biologists learned that the female Gonatus onyx broods its eggs in a cluster between its arms, and not, like all other known squid, by laying the eggs on the ocean floor. Capturing this birthing process with clarity and a sense of wonder, Born Like Stars combines a mesmerising music-box soundtrack with breathtaking deep-sea photography to give the impression of travelling through an alien world.

    Director: Brent Hoff

    12 June 2015
    A small orange seahorse blending in with coral of a similar colour, detailed texture and a blurred background.

    videoEvolution

    Pygmy seahorses survive by disappearing into the world around them

    2 minutes

    Photo of a bioluminescent marine organism with blue and green hues, adorned with red and yellow spots, against a dark background

    videoBiology

    Pearls before squid: how a cephalopod is born, in stunning microscopy footage

    5 minutes

    Close-up of a dark, complex organic structure with a central white shape, surrounded by red and dark textures.

    videoBiology

    If a sea urchin survives the incredible tumult of youth, it’s nearly immortal

    3 minutes

    Close-up of a white sea star larvae against a black background.

    videoBiology

    A spectacular, close-up look at the starfish with a ‘hands-on’ approach to parenting

    5 minutes

    A colourful sea slug with a purple and white spotted body and green appendages on a sandy ocean floor.

    videoBiology

    Far from sluggish: the remarkable sea creature that weaponises its dinner

    4 minutes

    Underwater photo of an octopus on the ocean floor with a mix of reddish-brown and white colours; the background is blue-green water.

    videoEvolution

    The wily and merciless veined octopus stalks an unsuspecting rock crab

    5 minutes

    Close-up of an orange sea anemone with flowing tentacles against a teal background.

    videoOceans and water

    See what no human eyes have seen before, deep in the sea off Western Australia

    5 minutes

    Close-up photo of two translucent, pink comb jellies with visible cilia and internal structures, set against a dark background.

    videoEvolution

    Take a shimmering, surreal swim with what might be the Earth’s oldest animals

    7 minutes

    A brown octopus and a multi-coloured cuttlefish underwater on the seafloor, both displaying their tentacles.

    videoEvolution

    The toxic flamboyant cuttlefish is one of the few species to mate face-to-face

    7 minutes