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If you flip over a blade of eelgrass off the coast of northern Australia, you might find the world’s smallest squid stuck there, like a wad of gum under a desk. Pygmy squid, which are small enough to fit on your thumbnail, seek shelter from predators in eelgrass meadows and can be found throughout the Indo-Pacific region.

But these squid are at risk of losing their habitat, as sediment runoff, nutrient overload, and the climate crisis are obliterating eelgrass meadows around the world. This is what made scientists at James Cook University in Australia question how a loss of eelgrass meadows might impact the tiny squid. In a new study, they capture 40 two-toned pygmy squid off the coast of northeast Australia and run a series of experiments to determine the habitat preferences of these minuscule mariners.

The scientists wondered if, in the absence of eelgrass, the squid would attach to sargassum, a common type of seaweed. They also speculated if the cephalopods would adhere to manufactured materials and if the presence of compatriots would affect their habitat selection.