Elusive deep-sea squid filmed in first-of-its-kind video near Antarctica. See it
From aboard a research vessel near Antarctica, scientists watched the camera feed from a submersible thousands of feet below. A ghostly, transparent deep-sea squid suddenly appeared on the screen.
The video turned out to be a first-of-its-kind sighting.
A team of scientists set out on the research ship Falkor (too) in February for a 35-day expedition off the South Sandwich Islands, a chain of subantarctic islands. Their main goal was to use a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to document new species of marine life as part of the ongoing Ocean Census project.
On March 9, researchers were piloting the ROV at a depth of about 2,000 feet when it encountered an elusive squid, Schmidt Ocean Institute said in an April 15 news release shared with McClatchy News.
The team, and later several independent experts, identified the squid as a baby colossal squid, a mysterious deep-sea predator that had never been seen alive in its natural habitat.
Colossal squid, scientifically known as Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, can reach about 23 feet long and weigh up to 1,100 pounds, “making them the heaviest invertebrate on the planet,” the institute said. “Little is known about the colossal squid’s life cycle, but eventually, they lose the see-through appearance of the juveniles.”
“It’s exciting to see the first in situ footage of a juvenile colossal and humbling to think that they have no idea that humans exist,” Kat Bolstad, a marine expert with the Auckland University of Technology, said in the release. “For 100 years, we have mainly encountered them as prey remains in whale and seabird stomachs and as predators of harvested toothfish.”
The video shows the roughly 1-foot-long baby colossal squid. Its body is tinged blue but largely see-through, while its tentacles have a red hue.
Colossal squids, which are not the same as giant squids, live in the depths of the Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, according to Oceana. Their “most significant predator” is the sperm whale.
“Writers have often imagined that this species engages in fierce battles with sperm whales, leaving both species injured,” according to Oceana. Other animals feed on baby colossal squids “but the sperm whale is the only species known to take adults.”
Researchers with Schmidt Ocean Institute also encountered another rarely seen squid during their January expedition near Antarctica. They recorded a glacial glass squid, or Galiteuthis glacialis, in its natural habitat for the first time.
“The first sighting of two different squids on back-to-back expeditions is remarkable and shows how little we have seen of the magnificent inhabitants of the Southern Ocean,” Jyotika Virmani, the institute’s executive director, said in the release. “These unforgettable moments continue to remind us that the Ocean is brimming with mysteries yet to be solved.”
This story was originally published April 15, 2025 at 1:07 PM with the headline "Elusive deep-sea squid filmed in first-of-its-kind video near Antarctica. See it."
