Stunned scientists capture first video of colossal squid in the deep
Nearly a century after its initial discovery, scientists have captured footage of the colossal squid swimming in its natural deep sea environment for the first time, shedding new light on the elusive giant creature.
The colossal squid, scientifically named Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, is the world's largest invertebrate, growing to a maximum of about 10 metres in length and reaching a mass of nearly half a metric tonne.
It is also the world's largest mollusc and has the largest eyes of any known creature with a diameter of nearly 30 centimetres.
However, until now, the colossal species has only been studied based on specimens found in the guts of whales that washed ashore or from rare individuals that got scooped up accidentally by fishing boats.
Very little is known about the giant deep sea creature's life cycle.
Now, a video of a 30-centimetre-long (11 inches) juvenile of the squid species has been captured in a world first by researchers on board the Schmidt Ocean Institute's research vessel Falkor during a month-long expedition near the South Sandwich Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean.
Scientists captured the footage on 9 March using the institute's remotely operated submersible vehicle SuBastian, at a depth of 600 m (1968 ft).
'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,' said Kat Bolstad, a leading squid and octopus researcher at the Auckland University of Technology..
'For 100 years, we have mainly encountered them as prey remains in whale and seabird stomachs and as predators of harvested toothfish,' said Dr Bolstad, who verified the footage for the Schmidt Ocean Institute.
One of the unique features of the colossal squid is the see-through appearance of juveniles that gradually disappear as they grow up.
The presence of hooks on the middle of their eight arms also differentiates them from their close relative, G. glacialis, whose first deep sea footage was recorded in January near Antarctica.
'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,' said Jyotika Virmani, executive director of the Schmidt Ocean Institute.
'These unforgettable moments continue to remind us that the Ocean is brimming with mysteries yet to be solved,' Dr Virmani said.
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The Independent
17-04-2025
- The Independent
Stunned scientists capture first video of colossal squid in the deep
Nearly a century after its initial discovery, scientists have captured footage of the colossal squid swimming in its natural deep sea environment for the first time, shedding new light on the elusive giant creature. The colossal squid, scientifically named Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, is the world's largest invertebrate, growing to a maximum of about 10 metres in length and reaching a mass of nearly half a metric tonne. It is also the world's largest mollusc and has the largest eyes of any known creature with a diameter of nearly 30 centimetres. However, until now, the colossal species has only been studied based on specimens found in the guts of whales that washed ashore or from rare individuals that got scooped up accidentally by fishing boats. Very little is known about the giant deep sea creature's life cycle. Now, a video of a 30-centimetre-long (11 inches) juvenile of the squid species has been captured in a world first by researchers on board the Schmidt Ocean Institute's research vessel Falkor during a month-long expedition near the South Sandwich Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. Scientists captured the footage on 9 March using the institute's remotely operated submersible vehicle SuBastian, at a depth of 600 m (1968 ft). '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,' said Kat Bolstad, a leading squid and octopus researcher at the Auckland University of Technology.. 'For 100 years, we have mainly encountered them as prey remains in whale and seabird stomachs and as predators of harvested toothfish,' said Dr Bolstad, who verified the footage for the Schmidt Ocean Institute. One of the unique features of the colossal squid is the see-through appearance of juveniles that gradually disappear as they grow up. The presence of hooks on the middle of their eight arms also differentiates them from their close relative, G. glacialis, whose first deep sea footage was recorded in January near Antarctica. '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,' said Jyotika Virmani, executive director of the Schmidt Ocean Institute. 'These unforgettable moments continue to remind us that the Ocean is brimming with mysteries yet to be solved,' Dr Virmani said.
NBC News
16-04-2025
- NBC News
Colossal squid caught on video for first time, seen swimming nearly 2,000 feet below ocean's surface
The colossal squid, the heaviest invertebrate in the world, was captured on video swimming in the deep sea for the first time since it was identified a century ago. The footage was filmed on March 9 by an international team of scientists and crew on an expedition near the South Sandwich Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, Schmidt Ocean Institute said in a news release. The squid, scientifically named Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, was a juvenile at nearly one foot long, according to the release. It was at a depth of 1,968 feet when scientists and crew on board the institute's research vessel Falkor captured footage of it with a remotely operated vehicle called SuBastian. "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," said Kat Bolstad of the Auckland University of Technology. Bolstad was one of the scientific experts who assisted with verifying the video. "For 100 years, we have mainly encountered them as prey remains in whale and seabird stomachs and as predators of harvested toothfish," she said. The squid was formally identified and named in 1925, but until now, no one has been able to capture it alive on camera. It's estimated that the squid can grow up to 23 feet in length and weigh as much as 1,100 pounds, the institute said. Little is known about the squid's life cycle, but it loses its transparent body as it becomes an adult. The colossal squid is not to be confused with a giant squid, according to the Natural History Museum of London. Both are massive cephalopods, but belong to different families of squid. The giant squid has much longer tentacles with a more narrow body, whereas the colossal squid has a much larger body with shorter tentacles. Bolstad and Aaron Evans, an independent expert on the glass squid family who also helped verify the video, both said that the colossal squid has distinguishing characteristics, including hooks on the middle of their eight arms. To date, the institute's ROV SuBastian has captured the first confirmed footage of at least four squid species in the wild, including the Promachoteuthis last year and the ram's horn squid in 2020.
The Independent
16-04-2025
- The Independent
Colossal squid filmed alive for first time since its discovery a century ago
A colossal squid has been filmed alive in the wild for the first time, 100 years after the species was discovered. The rare footage was captured on March 9 by Schmidt Ocean Institute's remotely operated vehicle SuBastian, at a depth of 600 metres off the South Sandwich Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. The juvenile squid, around 30 centimetres long, is the first confirmed sighting of a living Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni in its natural habitat. Colossal squid are thought to grow up to seven metres and weigh as much as 500kg, making them the world's heaviest invertebrate. Until now they have been seen only dead – washed up or in the stomachs of predators such as whales. '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,' said Dr Kat Bolstad, who helped verify the footage. The discovery came during a 35-day ocean census expedition – part of a global project to find and record new marine life. The mission involved Schmidt Ocean Institute, the Nippon Foundation–Nekton Ocean Census, and research teams from the UK and Germany. Experts confirmed the juvenile squid by its transparent body and arm hooks, which help distinguish it from similar species such as the glacial glass squid (Galiteuthis glacialis). The glacial glass squid was also filmed alive for the first time on a previous Schmidt Ocean Institute expedition in January, in the Bellingshausen Sea off Antarctica. 'The first sighting of two different squids on back-to-back expeditions is remarkable,' said the Institute's executive director, Dr Jyotika Virmani. 'It shows how little we've seen of life in the Southern Ocean.' To date, the Institute's ROV SuBastian has recorded the first confirmed footage of at least four deep-sea squid species, with another still awaiting identification. 'These unforgettable moments remind us how much of the ocean remains unexplored,' Dr Virmani added.
