logo
Colossal squid caught on camera for first time in natural habitat

Colossal squid caught on camera for first time in natural habitat

This is the first confirmed live observation of the colossal squid, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, in its natural habitat. The team on Schmidt Ocean Institute's Research Vessel Falkor (too) captured footage of the one-foot-long juvenile at a depth of 1,968 feet near the South Sandwich Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. Photograph By ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute
The colossal squid—one of nature's most elusive animals, and handily the world's most massive squid species—was first identified 100 years ago using remains found in the stomach of a sperm whale. Now, for the very first time, one has been filmed alive in its natural oceanic environment.
On March 9, the U.S.-based Schmidt Ocean Institute's research vessel, Falkor (too), was exploring the frigid waters close to the South Sandwich Islands, in the southern Atlantic Ocean, as part of an international quest to discover marine life. That day, they deployed a remotely operated submersible down to a depth of almost 2,000 feet, when the colossal squid suddenly drifted past the submersible's cameras.
After making sure to verify the footage with a series of experts both on and off the research cruise, scientist came to a startling conclusion: 'This is the first confirmed footage of the colossal squid at home in the deep sea,' says Kat Bolstad, a squid expert at the Auckland University of Technology.
These animals are estimated to grow up to 23 feet or so in length and weigh around 1,100 pounds, but this colossal squid was no more than a foot long. This led scientists to another surprising takeaway.
'This is not the giant animal we'd expect the colossal squid to be,' says Aaron Evans, an independent scientist and glass squid expert. 'It's not a baby either.' Based on the mid-developmental stage of its physical features, 'we can think of this as maybe a teenage squid.'
Until now, all knowledge about this usually ginormous animal had been pieced together from those early sperm whale stomach segments, and a handful of deceased colossal squid accidentally caught by fishing expeditions. Now that one has been glimpsed on camera, several theories about the behavior and biology of this species can be tested.
'This is honestly one of the most exciting observations we've had' in the history of the field, says Bolstad. This colossal squid was described as a "teenager" by one squid expert, showing the early signs of adult characteristics but only a fraction of its eventual 20-foot-long and 1,000 pound size. Photograph By ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute
Colossal squid belong to the family Cranchiidae and are often referred to as 'glass squids'.
Living in the dimly lit twilight zone of the sea, they often appear transparent, which helps them avoid predators and ambush prey. They accomplish this thanks to pigment sacs named chromatophores, which they often keep closed. Any remaining opaque body parts are obscured by light organs called photophores, which can glow by matching the level of sunlight trickling down from the surface.
The colossal squid is easily the most mysterious of the 60 known species of glass squid. It was first discovered in 1925 when the marine biologist James Erik Hamilton found two large arm crowns in the stomach of a sperm whale near the Shetland Islands. The pieces were sent back to London's British Museum, where they were formally identified as a new species that same year.
Then, in 1981, the crew of the Soviet trawler Eureka, inadvertently snagged a nearly 17-foot colossal squid in one of their nets. This specimen, which quickly perished, was not thought to be fully grown. Then, in 2003, a dead colossal squid was found floating off New Zealand's south coast—this time, 20 feet long.
Footage of a living colossal squid briefly caught on a fishing line emerged in 2005, from a boat in southern Atlantic Ocean waters. And in 2007, a living specimen found itself accidentally ensnared (and fatally injured) by another fishing boat, this time in the Ross Sea, near Antarctica. This 2007 squid, 30 feet in length, appeared to be a fully grown adult.
Although never visually confirmed in its true habitat— deep, open waters around Antarctica and in the Southern Ocean—this handful of largely intact samples have allowed scientists to piece together some key facts (or at least, reasonable assumptions) about the colossal squid.
'We know it's the heaviest invertebrate on the planet,' says Bolstad. Younger colossal squid hang out at shallower depths. As they age and rapidly grow, they probably descend into the abyss.
They appear to prey on large sub-Antarctic fish, including Chilean sea bass and other squids, using their unique set of tentacles. Each of the eight sucker-covered arms has a pair of large immobile hooks midway along their length; two of the longer tentacles have fully rotatable hooks at their ends.
(Scientists peeked underneath an iceberg and found a startling kaleidoscope of marine life. Read more.)
Despite what their name may suggest, colossal squid aren't apex predators: elephant seals, penguins, and other fishes eat juveniles, while sperm whales and sleeper sharks eat younglings and adults—although the scars on several sperm whales suggest these squid put up a hell of a fight. Fortunately, equipped with the largest eyes on the planet, it is able to spot whale-sized predators from a considerable distance. A deep sea discovery 100 years in the making
But deceased specimens and scattershot footage at the sea surface can only tell you so much. To properly understand the lives of these fascinating animals, scientists needed to spot one swimming through the depths.
Any submersibles hoping to spot them were in for a challenge. Thanks to their giant eyes and wary natures, 'They know we are there long before we know they are there,' says Bolstad. 'They are actively avoiding us.'
It seems as if Falkor (too)—a research vessel known for its prolific discoveries of marine life —was finally up to the task.
In March, scientists aboard the boat launched SuBastian, an underwater robotic explorer that's able to dive to almost three miles below the surface. Controlling it via a tether and making sure to equip it with a low-light system that would conceal it from any suspicious squids, it was able to catch a teenage colossal squid on camera hanging out 2,000 feet below the waves.
'It was beautiful, and unusual,' says Michelle Taylor, a deep-sea ecologist at University of Essex and leader of the Falkor (too)'s Ocean Census flagship expedition. Her team quickly beamed the high-resolution footage to Bolstad and Evans, who spied telltale features of the colossal squid—including its unusual hook arrangement on its arms.
'We got very excited, and we started hyperventilating,' says Evans.
The footage is still being heavily scrutinized, but several theories about the colossal squid are already being confirmed.
Scientists could see chromatophores on the juvenile, those color-changing sacs found on other glass squid. That means 'it almost certainly can switch back and forth between being completely transparent, which is how we see it mostly in this footage, to being opaque—and it probably has fine control over whether it can do that in certain regions of the body as well,' says Bolstad.
The crew of the Falkor (too) was fortunate enough to get two squid revelations for the price of one. In January, while on another mission to see what life may exist on a newly exposed, glacier-free patch of the Antarctic Peninsula's seafloor, SuBastian caught another remarkable sight: that of the glacial glass squid, (Galiteuthis glacialis), another species that, until now, had never been documented living in its presumed natural habitat. It was seen gracefully dangling its arms above its head— a pose common to other glass squids— at a depth of 2,250 feet.
These discoveries illustrate that our common perception of the deep, and its denizens, is often skewed toward the frightening and ominous.
'Our idea of the deep sea is a little bit distorted,' says Thom Linley, the Curator of Fishes at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Thanks to some clever engineering, and a little bit of luck, we are finding out that 'deep-sea animals are really fragile, and really beautiful.'

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Explore the vast ocean in 25 spectacular photos
Explore the vast ocean in 25 spectacular photos

National Geographic

time3 days ago

  • National Geographic

Explore the vast ocean in 25 spectacular photos

National Geographic Explorers, Kim Bernard (right), Jane Young (middle) and Bernard's team member and PhD student, Rachel Kaplan (left), observe Antarctic krill collected by ROV Subastian in Weddell Sea, Southern Ocean, seashore to seafloor and from pole to pole, Perpetual Planet Ocean Expeditions examine the causes and impacts of marine systems change throughout the largest and most vital ecosystem on Earth – the Ocean – while generating bold and innovative solutions in partnership with the coastal communities whose lives and livelihoods depend on it. The multi-year exploration of all five basins of the world's ocean – Arctic, Southern, Pacific, Atlantic and Indian – anchored by 20+ National Geographic Explorers, leverages several science disciplines, local ecological knowledge and world-class storytelling to reveal the diversity and connectivity of unique and vulnerable marine ecosystems while scaling bold and innovative solutions to help protect, restore and rebalance our planet's largest Geographic Explorers, storytellers and educators conducted a comprehensive scientific examination in the Southern Ocean's Weddell Sea via a groundbreaking sea ice to seafloor transect over a 21-day field research expedition in December 2024. The multidisciplinary team of 18 scientists, with expertise in oceanography, marine ecology, climate science, geology, wildlife health and migration, and community-based conservation, documented vital marine processes in this critical yet understudied region. The scientist teams collected 750 samples of sediment cores, ice cores, algae, krill, sea floor organisms (e.g., tubeworms, sponges, etc.), wildlife swabs, and blood and tissue samples. Their observations will deepen our understanding of this ecosystem while informing conservation efforts essential to maintaining planetary health and ensuring a planet in Southern Ocean Expedition was conducted in collaboration with the Schmidt Ocean Institute which provided National Geographic Explorers the opportunity to leverage the state-of-the art tools and capabilities of its 110m global ocean-class R/V Falkor (too) during its maiden voyage to the Southern Ocean.

Webb Telescope Peers Back in Time Via New 'Deep Field' Image
Webb Telescope Peers Back in Time Via New 'Deep Field' Image

Yahoo

time29-05-2025

  • Yahoo

Webb Telescope Peers Back in Time Via New 'Deep Field' Image

The James Webb Space Telescope has recently captured some breathtaking shots of individual space bodies, from Neptune and its dreamy auroras to Jupiter's own massive light shows. But the telescope's latest image is going for depth, not focus. In a multi-layered snapshot shared by the European Space Agency (ESA) Tuesday, Webb peers back in time, bringing astronomers one step closer to examining so-called "Cosmic Dawn." This period began when the universe was just a few million years old, and based on what astronomers currently know, that's when the version of the universe we observe today began to take shape. Cosmic Dawn should have quite a bit to say about why our stellar setting is the way it is, making it a vital area of study for space scientists. But imaging Cosmic Dawn is easier said than done, and theory can only go so far. Tuesday's Webb image is as good a starting point as any. The image depicts Abell S1063, a behemoth galaxy cluster 4.5 billion light-years from Earth. While the Hubble Space Telescope captured Abell S1063 nine years ago, the galaxy cluster holds too much potential to be used just once: Its size bends the light of distant galaxies positioned "behind" it, allowing it to serve as a strong gravitational lens. Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, H. Atek, M. Zamani In an effort to pick up where Hubble left off, Webb's NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) gazed at Abell S1063 and its surroundings. A total of 120 observation hours allowed Webb to take nine snapshots at various near-infrared wavelengths. Stacked together, these snapshots offer what the ESA calls "Webb's deepest gaze on a single target to date." While Abell S1063 dominates the image, the warped streaks of light are gravitational lensing in action. The streaks originate from "faint galaxies from the universe's distant pass," as the ESA puts it, lending scientists the potential to develop our understanding of the emergence of the first galaxies." And on that front, research has already begun. According to two preprint papers published on the arXiv, an international team of astrophysicists has used Webb's data to identify a host of candidate galaxies that could have formed as early as 200 million years after the Big Bang. They've even spotted signs of the first stars in the universe.

Coral gardens and volcano vents: See what scientists found in the icy depths of the Southern Ocean
Coral gardens and volcano vents: See what scientists found in the icy depths of the Southern Ocean

Yahoo

time18-05-2025

  • Yahoo

Coral gardens and volcano vents: See what scientists found in the icy depths of the Southern Ocean

Scientists on board a deep-sea expedition to the South Sandwich Islands near Antarctica have returned with a treasure trove of photos of previously unseen marine life. They found coral gardens, hydrothermal vents and many suspected new species while exploring around the island chain, including in the deepest trench in the Southern Ocean. The same international team, aboard Schmidt Ocean Institute's research vessel Falkor (too), made headlines last month with their world-first footage of a colossal squid. And in January, they were in the right place at the right time to explore the seafloor when a Chicago-sized iceberg broke away from an ice shelf in Antarctica. But there were many more 'magic moments' on the 35-day deep-sea expedition to this extremely biodiverse part of the ocean. 'The 35 days at sea were an exciting rollercoaster of scientific discovery; the implications of which will be felt for many years to come as discoveries filter into management action,' says Dr Michelle Taylor, head of science and expedition principal investigator at the Ocean Census - the world's largest initiative to accelerate the discovery of ocean life. These remarkable photos take us along for the ride. Related What are milky seas? 400 years of sailors' stories are shedding light on ocean bioluminescence Located in the South Atlantic, the South Sandwich Islands are part of a rich mosaic of geologic features. These include hadal zone trenches (the deepest region of the ocean), underwater volcanoes, and spreading centres - features created by tectonic forces that have supported the evolution of species found nowhere else on the planet. It took eight days for the research vessel to travel to the islands from the port of Punta Arenas, Chile. On board were Ocean Census scientists, who led efforts to discover new species, and researchers from GoSouth, a collaboration between the UK's University of Plymouth, the British Antarctic Survey and Germany's GEOMAR, tasked with investigating the effects of geohazards, including tsunamis, volcanoes, and earthquakes. Related Rare snail that can 'slurp up earthworms like noodles' caught on camera laying an egg from its neck The GoSouth team, led by co-chief scientist Dr Jenny Gales, discovered two pockmarks in the mapping data of an underwater caldera - a bowl-shaped depression in the seafloor, left after a volcano erupts. Since pockmarks can indicate hydrothermal activity, the team deployed the vessel's remotely operated vehicle (ROV) SuBastian to map the pockmarks at a higher resolution. The robot confirmed the presence of hydrothermal vents - fissures from which geothermally heated water rises - finding three on the larger pockmark, and one on the smaller one. Located at a depth of 700 metres, they are some of the shallowest hydrothermal vents to have been discovered near the South Sandwich Islands. The tallest vent chimney was four metres - about as tall as a basketball hoop. 'Discovering these hydrothermal vents was a magical moment, as they have never been seen here before,' says Dr Gales, an associate professor in Ocean Exploration at the University of Plymouth. 'It's an incredible discovery that provides valuable insights into the area's tectonic activity. Making such a discovery is rare. It highlights the importance of ocean exploration and seafloor mapping.' Each vent was covered with an array of life dependent on chemosynthesis (producing food using inorganic substances without sunlight), including sea snails and barnacles. Thriving coral gardens and large sponges were also found in close proximity to the vents - an unusual observation, according to Dr Taylor. Related OceanXplorer: On board the billionaire's research vessel broadcasting from the deep sea Meanwhile, Ocean Census scientists uncovered a range of potentially new marine life - including corals, sponges, snails, sea urchins, sea stars and benthic (sea bottom) ctenophores, which have gelatinous bodies. A thriving coral garden located west of Saunders Island at a depth of 120 metres is pictured in one of the most breathtaking photos from the expedition. The exact number of new species will be announced later this year when experts have had time to formally assess and catalogue the findings. But they include a possible new sea cucumber species - marine invertebrates so-named for their soft cylindrical bodies. These creatures play a crucial role in benthic ecosystems by recycling nutrients, and are well-adapted to the cold Antarctic environment. During a dive in the South Sandwich Trench - one of the coldest and most isolated submarine trenches on the planet - the team also spotted snailfish eggs laid on a black coral, a previously unknown behaviour. They also captured the first footage of Akarotaxis aff. gouldae, a species of dragonfish that was discovered only two years ago. And found large pumice blocks, indicating that the South Sandwich Islands are capable of explosive volcanism. Mother Nature threw everything she had at the expedition, says Dr Taylor, including a subsea earthquake, tropical storm force winds with hurricane-level gusts, eight-metre waves, and icebergs to navigate. 'The challenging ocean and weather conditions and the isolated location of the South Sandwich Islands capture the imagination of the boldest explorers - often the closest humans to the vessel were on the International Space Station,' says Schmidt Ocean Institute's executive director, Dr Jyotika Virmani.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store