An adorable sucker squid has been spotted in its natural home in the depths of the Pacific Ocean by a passing team of researchers.
The curious animal was caught on camera by the E/V Nautilus team exploring Palmyra Atoll earlier this month.
They spotted the creature at 4,500 feet (1,385 m) and stopped to enjoy the moment with the small marine animal.

The inquisitive sucker squid (pictured) was photographed by the E/V Nautilus team exploring Palmyra Atoll earlier this month.

Researchers spotted the creature at 4,500 feet (1,385 m) and stopped to enjoy the moment with the small marine animal.
The Nautilus team, from the non-profit Ocean Exploration Trust, used a ROV (remotely operated underwater vehicle) to enjoy the fast close-up.
The transparent sucker squid (Helicocranchia sp.) is named for its large siphon that resembles a snout.

The Nautilus team, from the non-profit Ocean Exploration Trust, used a ROV (remotely operated underwater vehicle) to enjoy the fast close-up with the tiny squid (pictured).

The experts who found the squid said: “Squid, like other cephalopods, move by using a structure called a siphon to pull and push the surrounding water like a jet pump.”

The chance encounter occurred on the remote Palmyra Atoll located 1,000 miles south of Hawaii.
The researchers explained: “[The animals are] able to regulate buoyancy with an internal chamber filled with ammonia, this impressive squid is often observed with its tentacles flared over its head.”
The chance encounter occurred on the remote coral atoll located 1,000 miles south of Hawaii.
The team elaborated: “Squid, like other cephalopods, move by using a structure called a siphon to pull and push surrounding water like a jet pump.
This cephalopod, Helicocranchia pfefferi, also known as the sucker squid, got its name from the enlarged siphon that resembles a snout.
“Able to regulate buoyancy with an internal chamber filled with ammonia, this impressive squid is often seen with its tentacles flared out over its head like a wild hairstyle, or as one team member called it: reindeer antlers.”

Researchers who saw the squid said: “[The animals are] able to regulate buoyancy with an internal chamber filled with ammonia, this impressive squid is often seen with its tentacles splayed over its head.”

The team used an ROV (remotely operated underwater vehicle) (pictured) to explore deep water and stumbled across the close encounter with the sucker squid.

Pictured: E/V Nautilus research vessel. The expedition found the animal by chance using its remote-controlled ocean rover.