Elusive ocean creature filmed alive in the wild for first time off Antarctica
The magic of Christmas includes a parade of legendary creatures. From Santa Claus to his flying reindeer, believing in magic without ever seeing its source is part of what makes the holiday special for kids around the world.
But for a group of researchers spending Christmas on a research vessel in the troubled waters around Antarctica, a different creature of legend helped make their day magical.
The remote-operated vehicle SuBastian, part of the Schmidt Ocean Institute's research vessel R/V Falkor (too), dropped to a depth of about 7,000 feet when a colorful creature came into focus on the vehicle's camera, according to a June 10 article and news release from National Geographic.
The colorful animal was about 3 feet long and covered in 'fresh-looking sucker marks' and 'scratches,' researchers said.
It was identified as Gonatus antarcticus, a species that had never been seen before alive in the wild, according to National Geographic.
'Prior to the astonishing discovery, the species was only known from carcasses in fishing nets or when the squids' beaks were found in the stomach of fished marine animals,' National Geographic said in the news release. '... Spotted at a depth of approximately (7,000 feet) in the Weddell Sea, researchers have not been able to confirm the squid's sex from the footage, nor age, but the discovery is a reminder of how much more there is to learn about the relatively unexplored polar regions of our world's (oceans).'
Kathrin Bolstad, a squid expert, told National Geographic the squid could be identified by a 'large single central hook observed on each tentacle club,' according to the release.
Experts believe the hooks are used to hold prey while hunting, according to National Geographic, but because of the animal's elusive lifestyle, very little is known about their ecology and day-to-day lives.
If the squid is a female, she's particularly large for her sex when females typically start to deteriorate near the end of their life cycle, Bolstad told National Geographic.
If the squid is a male, it might mean males don't break down near the end of their lives like the females. Another possibility is that there is more than one species of squid being classified as Gonatus antarcticus that keeps its color throughout its life because the animals are so understudied, the squid expert said.
'In the deep sea, there's always a good chance you're seeing something for the first time,' Bolstad told National Geographic. 'The potential for discoveries and exploration is pretty much limitless.'
During the expedition, researchers also collected sediment samples, water and biota samples throughout the Southern Ocean at depths of up to 13,000 feet and across abyssal plains, hydrothermal vents, troughs, canyon walls and sea ice, according to the release.
The Weddell Sea is 'one of the few near-pristine ecosystems on the planet,' according to the outlet, exciting researchers about its study.
The Weddell Sea is part of the Southern Ocean off the coast of Antarctica, south of the Atlantic Ocean and South America.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
‘Ocean' goes deep to look at highs, lows of deep blue seas
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The new National Geographic special 'Ocean with David Attenborough' offers a look at the deep blue seas through a style that almost mimics water movement. There are calm moments that discuss the beauty and wonder of the ocean world but that gives way to a tsunami of information as to the troubles facing the water world. Then it returns to another calming moment before another crash. Director Toby Nowlan explains that the structure of the production that is now available on the National Geographic Channel was to examine the overarching theme of hope and then show the juxtaposition with the damage being done to the seas. 'The theme is we are living in the age of the greatest ocean discovery, and it is David's story of ocean discovery in the last 100 years, his lifetime,' Nowlan says. 'Through that lens you are seeing this ocean of wonder where every year we are discovering things that are transforming our idea of how vital the ocean is. 'Then there is the importance of the discovery of what we are doing to the seas and how we are demolishing the seabed. Just the act of showing some of that footage for the first time, the images speak for themselves.' Pilot Peter Weber lands on NBC's 'Destination X' Nowlan points out the last big wave of the documentary looks at there is real reason to hope to protect the oceans. What the team found was that areas of the ocean that have been devastated will recover far quicker than the way dry land rebounds. The director comes to 'Ocean' having worked on a variety of projects dealing with nature. His credits include 'Our Planet,' 'Deadly Pole to Pole' and 'Wild Arabia.' In the feature-length special Attenborough draws on his lifetime of exploration and knowledge of the sea to take audiences on a journey through the planet's most spectacular undersea habitats. Attenborough investigates diverse marine ecosystems, from bustling giant kelp jungles and coral reefs to towering seamount outposts within the open ocean. These are all revealed to be intricately connected, vital to avoiding climate catastrophe, and in peril due to destructive forms of fishing. While Attenborough exposes the greatest threats to our oceans' health, he points to inspirational stories from around the world to reveal the most remarkable finding of all: If we take action now, the opportunity for marine life to recover on an unprecedented scale is well within our reach. Attenborough's more than 70 years filming the natural world has made him the world's preeminent natural historian. The English broadcaster, writer, and naturalist is best known for his award-winning BBC documentaries, including 'Life on Earth,' 'Frozen Planet,' and the 'Blue Planet' series. His work has brought the natural world into homes and classrooms, inspiring millions and motivating action towards preservation. Brandi Passante keeps looking for 'Storage Wars' treasures Nowlan stresses that the purpose of the film is to show that when it comes to the ocean, efforts to correct problems will be beneficial to every living creature or if ignored would spell total catastrophic disasters. The documentary is filled with undersea footage that is so stunning it rivals any CGI work done in feature films. Director Keith Scholey is quick to point out that there were no computer-generated images used in the film. He says the reason the movie has such a stunning look comes from the initial plans to open the documentary in theaters. 'We made a lot of feature films before and we know that is kind of a high bar,' Scholey says. 'The starting point is the cinematographer. Underwater we have the best in the world in Doug Anderson who is not only a superb diver and superb underwater naturalist, but he has an incredible sense of natural composition. 'I think one of the reasons the images look different is Doug and his eye.' Scholey knows the importance of cinematographers having worked on 'Guardians of the Galapagos,' 'Life on Our Planet' and 'Polar Bear.' 'Ballerina' dances its way to a bloody good time Both men agree that the most vital part of the production was Attenborough. Despite being one year shy of reaching 100 years old, Attenborough continues to bring energy to every project. Scholey – who has worked with Attenborough for 44 years – says, 'I met him when he was in his mid-50s, and he had it then, a huge energy and power. He has remained this person in his mid-50s because of his constant thirst for information, a constant interest in the world. 'I think it is that that keeps him modern all the time. The only way you can tell he has aged is that his accent has changed over time. Because that has happened because he has been modernizing himself.' 'Ocean with David Attenborough' debuted on the National Geographic Channel and is now available on the streaming services of Disney+ and Hulu. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
4 hours ago
- CBS News
Elusive Antarctic squid spotted alive in the wild for the first time, captured on video
Unprecedented footage of an elusive deep-sea creature came to light this week. On an expedition through the Southern Ocean last Christmas Day, researchers discovered the Gonatus antarcticus, a mysterious species of squid known to roam the freezing waters around Antarctica but never seen alive before in its natural habitat. The crew of Schmidt Ocean Institute's research vessel, the R/V Falkor (too), encountered the squid by happenstance, according to National Geographic, which led the expedition through its nonprofit, the National Geographic Society, and on Tuesday published photos and video of the historic find. The research vessel's remotely operated vehicle, called SuBastian, captured the footage that's also set to appear in an upcoming National Geographic documentary. Presented by National Geographic Society in partnership with Rolex. A National Geographic Society expedition spotted an Antarctic gonate squid alive for the first time—helping researchers form theories around this mysterious species. — National Geographic (@NatGeo) June 10, 2025 In the first look released this week, a three-foot-long multicolored squid shimmers in pitch-dark, appearing to glow as it floats. Crew members recalled to National Geographic a cloud of green ink ejected from the animal as the machine approached, suggesting it was startled. The creature was spotted about 7,000 feet below the surface of the Weddell Sea, a remote area near the Antarctic peninsula. Researchers have yet to confirm the squid's sex or age based on the footage. Before this encounter, evidence of the Antarctic gonate squid had come exclusively in the form of carcasses caught in fishing nets or in the stomachs of its predators, National Geographic said. This particular squid was determined to be "in good shape" outside of some scratches and sucker marks. Researchers discovered the Gonatus antarcticus, a mysterious species of squid. National Geographic The Antarctic gonate is among a group of large and elusive deep-sea squid species native to the Southern Ocean, which have for the most part evaded human contact. Another, the colossal squid, was filmed alive for the first time ever in March, during a different research expedition by the Schmidt Ocean Institute around the South Sandwich Islands.
New York Times
7 hours ago
- New York Times
This Elusive Antarctic Squid Was Seen for the First Time
The deep-sea environs of the Earth's poles are home to mysterious ocean creatures: giant sea spiders, Antarctic sea pigs, phantom jellyfish. Finding and identifying these animals can be difficult, however; some are known only because researchers found their remains in fishing nets or in the bellies of seabirds. But on Christmas Day last year, the crew of the R/V Falkor (Too), the Schmidt Ocean Institute's research vessel, caught sight of a creature never before seen alive. The team had planned to deploy its remotely operated vehicle, SuBastian, in a site known as the Powell Basin, but the movement of ice blocks forced the group to explore the region's outer edges instead. When the submersible dropped 7,000 feet, the team unexpectedly spotted a shadow through the live feed, which turned out to be an Antarctic gonate squid, a rare species of cephalopod, three feet long and releasing a green cloud of ink. 'It was a beautiful squid,' said Andrew Thurber, a deep-sea researcher at the University of California, Santa Barbara, who was aboard the vessel. 'You see beauty all the time in the deep ocean, and this was just one classic example of it.' No Antarctic gonate squid had ever been seen alive before, as far as the team was aware. They followed it for a couple of minutes and made sure to record it on video, capturing the creature's red coloration and white spots. 'Videos like this get me really excited,' said Linsey Sala, a museum scientist who manages the pelagic invertebrate collection at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and was not involved in the expedition. Discoveries of species like this 'can be really informative to how they live life at great depths,' Ms. Sala said. Unidentified specimens might be sitting in collections around the world, she added, in which case the video footage could be helpful in revealing what they are. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
