Microscopic Monsters

What look like tennis balls gone evil are actually the tiny suckers on the tentacles of squid. The miniscule suction cups, with diameters of around 400 µm (400 millionths of a meter, or 0.04 centimeters), can be seen in detail in this false-color microscope image. The suckers are lined with fangs (in white) that help grab onto the squid's prey.

The Loligo pealei, or long-finned squid, have eight arms and two tentacles, all of which are coated with the monstrous suckers. This image, taken by Jessica D. Schiffman and Caroline L. Schauer of Drexel University, won an honorable mention for photography in the 2008 International Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge, sponsored by the journal Science and the National Science Foundation.

-- LiveScience Staff

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Image Credit: Jessica D. Schiffman and Caroline L. Schauer, Drexel University