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Next article FreeAbout the CoverFull TextPDF Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmailQR Code SectionsMoreCoverParental care of eggs or young is uncommon in invertebrates. This is true for most squids, but as John Bower and colleagues report in this issue (pages 259–262), females of a species in northern Japan care for their spawned eggs by brooding them in their arms. Divers in northern Japan have observed this behavior annually in nearshore waters off the Shiretoko Peninsula since 1991, but the species has until now remained unidentified.The cover photo, taken off Rausu, Hokkaido, in May 2006 at about 20-m depth, shows a female brooding a single-layer, sheet-like egg mass attached to its arm hooks. The small, oval eggs are visible within the dark, viscous material that formed the egg mass. The authors describe the brooding behavior and identify the species as Gonatus madokai (family Gonatidae), now the third squid species known to brood. They suggest that females might continue this behavior for several months, during which time they weaken, undergo gelatinous degeneration, and are presumably unable to feed.Why the females would devote so much time and energy to caring for the eggs remains a mystery, but brooding could increase offspring fitness by protecting the developing embryos from egg predators and hypoxia. Even less is known about the evolutionary origin of this behavior, but the authors suggest that more brooding squids await discovery in the deep sea, which could provide more clues to understanding this intriguing behavior.Credits: Photo, Katsunori Seki, Shiretoko Diving Kikaku, Rausu, Hokkaido, Japan; cover design, Beth Liles, Marine Biological Laboratory. Next article DetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The Biological Bulletin Volume 223, Number 3December 2012 Published in association with the Marine Biological Laboratory Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/BBLv223n3cover Views: 64 © 2012 by Marine Biological Laboratory. All rights reserved. Crossref reports no articles citing this article.