“For two years (2017-2019) we have gathered around 80 observations of large gelatinous spheres. Raasch and his team have reported on the egg sacs in the past as part of a volunteer effort. When hatched, the squid juveniles are active swimmers and make their way through the water column via jet propulsion. Embryonic development of the eggs typically takes between 10 and 14 days at temperatures of 15☌ (59☏). Spawning occurs all year long but varies depending on the season, lasting from just a few days to a few weeks, according to Sealife Base. Females can hold as many as 50,000 to 200,000 mature eggs in the ovary and oviduct. Spheres average about 1 meter in diameter (3 feet) with more than half of them being identified as having a dark streak through their center as they float freely through the water column. The species was first reported by the French researcher Jean-Baptiste Verany in 1837 and remains an important source of food for humans today. coindetii is a member of the Ommastrephidae family and its egg sacs have been found on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, from as far north as Norway southward to the Mediterranean Sea. It was floating in the middle of the water column, about 17 meters (55 feet) below the surface and 15 meters (49 feet) above the ocean floor. Described as “blekksprutgeleball” – or “cephalopod jelly ball” in Norwegian – the orb-like ball is the egg sac belonging to Illex coindetii, or the southern shortfin squid.
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