Latest news with #Cranchiidae
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Colossal squid resembles a ‘glass sculpture' in first footage taken from the deep sea
Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. Scientists have captured the first confirmed footage of the elusive colossal squid in its natural environment 100 years after the marine creature was first identified and named, according to the Schmidt Ocean Institute. Video, taken near the South Sandwich Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, shows a juvenile squid, named Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, swimming at a depth of 1,968 feet (600 meters). The footage was captured by SuBastian, a remotely operated vehicle deployed during an expedition by the institute's research vessel, Falkor (too), in March. While the colossal squid is thought to grow up to 23 feet (7 meters) long and weigh as much as 1,110 pounds (500 kilograms) — which makes it the heaviest invertebrate on the planet — this juvenile squid measures nearly 1 foot (30 centimeters) long. The squid has lost some of its 'baby features,' such as stalked eyes that stick out the side of its head. Rather, the eyes are part of the head, and the head and body are more proportional to one another, said Dr. Aaron Evans, an independent researcher and an expert on Cranchiidae, or the glass squid family to which the colossal squid belongs. Evans, who did not participate in the expedition, independently verified the species along with Dr. Kat Bolstad, associate professor at New Zealand's Auckland University of Technology. 'We could think of this maybe as a teenager squid,' Evans said during a news conference Tuesday. 'It's not quite an adult. It hasn't fully matured yet. It's still got a lot of growing to do. But it's not a baby either. So, it's a very exciting specimen for us to examine. For us to see this kind of midrange size in between a hatchling and an adult is really exciting because it gives us the opportunity to fill in some of those missing puzzle pieces to the life history of this very mysterious animal.' Additionally, a team aboard a previous Falkor (too) expedition in January to the Southern Ocean near Antarctica captured footage of the glacial glass squid, which has never been seen before alive in its environment. '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,' Dr. Jyotika Virmani, the Schmidt Ocean Institute's executive director, said in a statement. The high-resolution video footage of both squid species, which allowed scientists to confirm their identities, is opening a new window to delicate ocean life and shedding light on how animals survive within its depths. Little is known about the life and behaviors of the colossal squid. Most of what scientists understand about the animal has come from dead or dying specimens found within the stomachs of whales and seabirds, or as predators of toothfish that are harvested and caught for human consumption, Bolstad said. But with the new footage comes fresh insights, which were captured during the flagship expedition on a quest to search for previously unknown marine life, a collaboration between the Schmidt Ocean Institute, the Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census and GoSouth. GoSouth is a joint project of the UK's University of Plymouth, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Germany and the British Antarctic Survey. Bolstad and Evans carefully reviewed the footage to search for identifying features of the colossal squid. Squid have eight shorter arms and two longer tentacles. Something that distinguishes the colossal squid is the presence of hooks on the middle of its eight arms. Evans said he began hyperventilating with excitement when he noticed the hooks present on the recently filmed juvenile squid. 'I have been researching deep-sea squids, including the colossal, since the early 2000s, and I can say that this is honestly one of the most exciting observations that we've had across the time that I've been working on deep-sea cephalopods,' Bolstad said during the news conference. 'One of the things I love about this footage is how delicate this animal appears to be. It looks like a glass sculpture. Looking at these animals … thriving and in that delicate state, and then thinking about what it takes for humans to even remotely get to that environment … it's just a great reminder of how much we have left to learn from nature.' Bolstad also noted the presence of large rusty red brown chromatophores, or color-changing cells, on the squid's mantle. '(That) tells us that it almost certainly can switch back and forth between being completely transparent, which is how we see it, mostly in this footage, to being quite opaque,' Bolstad said. 'And it probably has fine control over whether it can do that in certain regions of the body as well, which, again, we would have hypothesized, but we don't know for sure until we see this animal.' Bolstad noted that an organization called Colossal captured footage of a glass squid of a similar size in the Antarctic in the organization's 2023-2024 observing campaign, but the lack of high-resolution footage made it impossible to distinguish which squid species it belonged to because its features weren't discernible. Bolstad clarified that the colossal squid is not the same as the giant squid. While the colossal squid lives exclusively in the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic regions, the giant squid is found in other oceans of the world. During a separate expedition near Antarctica in January, Dr. Thom Linley was on board as the team examined the seafloor after a Chicago-size iceberg broke away from the George VI Ice Shelf. Linley, curator of fishes at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, was in the ship's control room as the Falkor (too) deployed a remotely operated vehicle through the depths of the Bellingshausen Sea when he saw something intriguing as SuBastian reached 2,254 feet (687 meters). A glass squid floated into view, and Linley asked if the vehicle could pause during descent to capture footage. 'I know it's a cute little squid, but this might be important,' Linley recalled saying. He shared the high-resolution footage with Bolstad. Evans was also brought in to review the imagery. The juvenile colossal squid and the glacial glass squid, called Galiteuthis glacialis, appear similar, with both having hooks at the end of their two longer tentacles and transparent bodies. But this particular glass squid observed during the descent held its arms loosely above its head in a maneuver called a cockatoo pose, which has been observed previously in glass squids. Together, Bolstad and Evans were able to confirm that they were seeing a glacial glass squid in its frigid, deep environment for the first time. Neither of the squid observed in the footage disappear or appear alarmed by presence of the remotely operated vehicle. Instead, they appear to hold their positions calmly, assessing if the vehicle is a threat. But an adult colossal squid remains elusive, using its sensitive vision to avoid anything that may pose a risk. 'From their perspective, any time something large is coming forward, it's not a good thing,' Evans said. 'The adult colossal squid remains mysterious and enigmatic because it has these senses, which allow it to see us. The colossal squid is limited to Antarctica, where we don't get the opportunity to research quite as frequently. So, it's going to take us a bit longer for us to have that chance encounter where we get it on film.' The research vessel won't be returning to Antarctica until 2028, but it will be operating in the South Atlantic Ocean off the coasts of Argentina and Uruguay over the next four years, the Schmidt Ocean Institute's Virmani said. The vehicle's dives are streamed live on the institute's YouTube channel so anyone can follow along with its expeditions to the deep, she said. 'Now that we have the ability to share (dives) in real time in this way and show people how beautiful the things are, how many things remain to be discovered, and that people can come along with us as we make these discoveries, I feel like our ability to appreciate the deep sea on a much wider scale is moving towards where it should have been all along,' Bolstad said.
CNN
16-04-2025
- Science
- CNN
Colossal squid resembles a ‘glass sculpture' in first footage taken from the deep sea
Scientists have captured the first confirmed footage of the elusive colossal squid in its natural environment 100 years after the marine creature was first identified and named, according to the Schmidt Ocean Institute. Video, taken near the South Sandwich Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, shows a juvenile squid, named Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, swimming at a depth of 1,968 feet (600 meters). The footage was captured by SuBastian, a remotely operated vehicle deployed during an expedition by the institute's research vessel, Falkor (too), in March. While the colossal squid is thought to grow up to 23 feet (7 meters) long and weigh as much as 1,110 pounds (500 kilograms) — which makes it the heaviest invertebrate on the planet — this juvenile squid measures nearly 1 foot (30 centimeters) long. The squid has lost some of its 'baby features,' such as stalked eyes that stick out the side of its head. Rather, the eyes are part of the head, and the head and body are more proportional to one another, said Dr. Aaron Evans, an independent researcher and an expert on Cranchiidae, or the glass squid family to which the colossal squid belongs. Evans, who did not participate in the expedition, independently verified the species along with Dr. Kat Bolstad, associate professor at New Zealand's Auckland University of Technology. 'We could think of this maybe as a teenager squid,' Evans said during a news conference Tuesday. 'It's not quite an adult. It hasn't fully matured yet. It's still got a lot of growing to do. But it's not a baby either. So, it's a very exciting specimen for us to examine. For us to see this kind of midrange size in between a hatchling and an adult is really exciting because it gives us the opportunity to fill in some of those missing puzzle pieces to the life history of this very mysterious animal.' Additionally, a team aboard a previous Falkor (too) expedition in January to the Southern Ocean near Antarctica captured footage of the glacial glass squid, which has never been seen before alive in its environment. '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,' Dr. Jyotika Virmani, the Schmidt Ocean Institute's executive director, said in a statement. The high-resolution video footage of both squid species, which allowed scientists to confirm their identities, is opening a new window to delicate ocean life and shedding light on how animals survive within its depths. Little is known about the life and behaviors of the colossal squid. Most of what scientists understand about the animal has come from dead or dying specimens found within the stomachs of whales and seabirds, or as predators of toothfish that are harvested and caught for human consumption, Bolstad said. But with the new footage comes fresh insights, which were captured during the flagship expedition on a quest to search for previously unknown marine life, a collaboration between the Schmidt Ocean Institute, the Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census and GoSouth. GoSouth is a joint project of the UK's University of Plymouth, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Germany and the British Antarctic Survey. Bolstad and Evans carefully reviewed the footage to search for identifying features of the colossal squid. Squid have eight shorter arms and two longer tentacles. Something that distinguishes the colossal squid is the presence of hooks on the middle of its eight arms. Evans said he began hyperventilating with excitement when he noticed the hooks present on the recently filmed juvenile squid. 'I have been researching deep-sea squids, including the colossal, since the early 2000s, and I can say that this is honestly one of the most exciting observations that we've had across the time that I've been working on deep-sea cephalopods,' Bolstad said during the news conference. 'One of the things I love about this footage is how delicate this animal appears to be. It looks like a glass sculpture. Looking at these animals … thriving and in that delicate state, and then thinking about what it takes for humans to even remotely get to that environment … it's just a great reminder of how much we have left to learn from nature.' Bolstad also noted the presence of large rusty red brown chromatophores, or color-changing cells, on the squid's mantle. '(That) tells us that it almost certainly can switch back and forth between being completely transparent, which is how we see it, mostly in this footage, to being quite opaque,' Bolstad said. 'And it probably has fine control over whether it can do that in certain regions of the body as well, which, again, we would have hypothesized, but we don't know for sure until we see this animal.' Bolstad noted that an organization called Colossal captured footage of a glass squid of a similar size in the Antarctic in the organization's 2023-2024 observing campaign, but the lack of high-resolution footage made it impossible to distinguish which squid species it belonged to because its features weren't discernible. Bolstad clarified that the colossal squid is not the same as the giant squid. While the colossal squid lives exclusively in the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic regions, the giant squid is found in other oceans of the world. During a separate expedition near Antarctica in January, Dr. Thom Linley was on board as the team examined the seafloor after a Chicago-size iceberg broke away from the George VI Ice Shelf. Linley, curator of fishes at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, was in the ship's control room as the Falkor (too) deployed a remotely operated vehicle through the depths of the Bellingshausen Sea when he saw something intriguing as SuBastian reached 2,254 feet (687 meters). A glass squid floated into view, and Linley asked if the vehicle could pause during descent to capture footage. 'I know it's a cute little squid, but this might be important,' Linley recalled saying. He shared the high-resolution footage with Bolstad. Evans was also brought in to review the imagery. The juvenile colossal squid and the glacial glass squid, called Galiteuthis glacialis, appear similar, with both having hooks at the end of their two longer tentacles and transparent bodies. But this particular glass squid observed during the descent held its arms loosely above its head in a maneuver called a cockatoo pose, which has been observed previously in glass squids. Together, Bolstad and Evans were able to confirm that they were seeing a glacial glass squid in its frigid, deep environment for the first time. Neither of the squid observed in the footage disappear or appear alarmed by presence of the remotely operated vehicle. Instead, they appear to hold their positions calmly, assessing if the vehicle is a threat. But an adult colossal squid remains elusive, using its sensitive vision to avoid anything that may pose a risk. 'From their perspective, any time something large is coming forward, it's not a good thing,' Evans said. 'The adult colossal squid remains mysterious and enigmatic because it has these senses, which allow it to see us. The colossal squid is limited to Antarctica, where we don't get the opportunity to research quite as frequently. So, it's going to take us a bit longer for us to have that chance encounter where we get it on film.' The research vessel won't be returning to Antarctica until 2028, but it will be operating in the South Atlantic Ocean off the coasts of Argentina and Uruguay over the next four years, the Schmidt Ocean Institute's Virmani said. The vehicle's dives are streamed live on the institute's YouTube channel so anyone can follow along with its expeditions to the deep, she said. 'Now that we have the ability to share (dives) in real time in this way and show people how beautiful the things are, how many things remain to be discovered, and that people can come along with us as we make these discoveries, I feel like our ability to appreciate the deep sea on a much wider scale is moving towards where it should have been all along,' Bolstad said.
CNN
16-04-2025
- Science
- CNN
Colossal squid resembles a ‘glass sculpture' in first footage taken from the deep sea
Scientists have captured the first confirmed footage of the elusive colossal squid in its natural environment 100 years after the marine creature was first identified and named, according to the Schmidt Ocean Institute. Video, taken near the South Sandwich Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, shows a juvenile squid, named Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, swimming at a depth of 1,968 feet (600 meters). The footage was captured by SuBastian, a remotely operated vehicle deployed during an expedition by the institute's research vessel, Falkor (too), in March. While the colossal squid is thought to grow up to 23 feet (7 meters) long and weigh as much as 1,110 pounds (500 kilograms) — which makes it the heaviest invertebrate on the planet — this juvenile squid measures nearly 1 foot (30 centimeters) long. The squid has lost some of its 'baby features,' such as stalked eyes that stick out the side of its head. Rather, the eyes are part of the head, and the head and body are more proportional to one another, said Dr. Aaron Evans, an independent researcher and an expert on Cranchiidae, or the glass squid family to which the colossal squid belongs. Evans, who did not participate in the expedition, independently verified the species along with Dr. Kat Bolstad, associate professor at New Zealand's Auckland University of Technology. 'We could think of this maybe as a teenager squid,' Evans said during a news conference Tuesday. 'It's not quite an adult. It hasn't fully matured yet. It's still got a lot of growing to do. But it's not a baby either. So, it's a very exciting specimen for us to examine. For us to see this kind of midrange size in between a hatchling and an adult is really exciting because it gives us the opportunity to fill in some of those missing puzzle pieces to the life history of this very mysterious animal.' Additionally, a team aboard a previous Falkor (too) expedition in January to the Southern Ocean near Antarctica captured footage of the glacial glass squid, which has never been seen before alive in its environment. '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,' Dr. Jyotika Virmani, the Schmidt Ocean Institute's executive director, said in a statement. The high-resolution video footage of both squid species, which allowed scientists to confirm their identities, is opening a new window to delicate ocean life and shedding light on how animals survive within its depths. Little is known about the life and behaviors of the colossal squid. Most of what scientists understand about the animal has come from dead or dying specimens found within the stomachs of whales and seabirds, or as predators of toothfish that are harvested and caught for human consumption, Bolstad said. But with the new footage comes fresh insights, which were captured during the flagship expedition on a quest to search for previously unknown marine life, a collaboration between the Schmidt Ocean Institute, the Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census and GoSouth. GoSouth is a joint project of the UK's University of Plymouth, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Germany and the British Antarctic Survey. Bolstad and Evans carefully reviewed the footage to search for identifying features of the colossal squid. Squid have eight shorter arms and two longer tentacles. Something that distinguishes the colossal squid is the presence of hooks on the middle of its eight arms. Evans said he began hyperventilating with excitement when he noticed the hooks present on the recently filmed juvenile squid. 'I have been researching deep-sea squids, including the colossal, since the early 2000s, and I can say that this is honestly one of the most exciting observations that we've had across the time that I've been working on deep-sea cephalopods,' Bolstad said during the news conference. 'One of the things I love about this footage is how delicate this animal appears to be. It looks like a glass sculpture. Looking at these animals … thriving and in that delicate state, and then thinking about what it takes for humans to even remotely get to that environment … it's just a great reminder of how much we have left to learn from nature.' Bolstad also noted the presence of large rusty red brown chromatophores, or color-changing cells, on the squid's mantle. '(That) tells us that it almost certainly can switch back and forth between being completely transparent, which is how we see it, mostly in this footage, to being quite opaque,' Bolstad said. 'And it probably has fine control over whether it can do that in certain regions of the body as well, which, again, we would have hypothesized, but we don't know for sure until we see this animal.' Bolstad noted that an organization called Colossal captured footage of a glass squid of a similar size in the Antarctic in the organization's 2023-2024 observing campaign, but the lack of high-resolution footage made it impossible to distinguish which squid species it belonged to because its features weren't discernible. Bolstad clarified that the colossal squid is not the same as the giant squid. While the colossal squid lives exclusively in the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic regions, the giant squid is found in other oceans of the world. During a separate expedition near Antarctica in January, Dr. Thom Linley was on board as the team examined the seafloor after a Chicago-size iceberg broke away from the George VI Ice Shelf. Linley, curator of fishes at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, was in the ship's control room as the Falkor (too) deployed a remotely operated vehicle through the depths of the Bellingshausen Sea when he saw something intriguing as SuBastian reached 2,254 feet (687 meters). A glass squid floated into view, and Linley asked if the vehicle could pause during descent to capture footage. 'I know it's a cute little squid, but this might be important,' Linley recalled saying. He shared the high-resolution footage with Bolstad. Evans was also brought in to review the imagery. The juvenile colossal squid and the glacial glass squid, called Galiteuthis glacialis, appear similar, with both having hooks at the end of their two longer tentacles and transparent bodies. But this particular glass squid observed during the descent held its arms loosely above its head in a maneuver called a cockatoo pose, which has been observed previously in glass squids. Together, Bolstad and Evans were able to confirm that they were seeing a glacial glass squid in its frigid, deep environment for the first time. Neither of the squid observed in the footage disappear or appear alarmed by presence of the remotely operated vehicle. Instead, they appear to hold their positions calmly, assessing if the vehicle is a threat. But an adult colossal squid remains elusive, using its sensitive vision to avoid anything that may pose a risk. 'From their perspective, any time something large is coming forward, it's not a good thing,' Evans said. 'The adult colossal squid remains mysterious and enigmatic because it has these senses, which allow it to see us. The colossal squid is limited to Antarctica, where we don't get the opportunity to research quite as frequently. So, it's going to take us a bit longer for us to have that chance encounter where we get it on film.' The research vessel won't be returning to Antarctica until 2028, but it will be operating in the South Atlantic Ocean off the coasts of Argentina and Uruguay over the next four years, the Schmidt Ocean Institute's Virmani said. The vehicle's dives are streamed live on the institute's YouTube channel so anyone can follow along with its expeditions to the deep, she said. 'Now that we have the ability to share (dives) in real time in this way and show people how beautiful the things are, how many things remain to be discovered, and that people can come along with us as we make these discoveries, I feel like our ability to appreciate the deep sea on a much wider scale is moving towards where it should have been all along,' Bolstad said.
Express Tribune
16-04-2025
- Science
- Express Tribune
Colossal squid filmed alive in Antarctica 100 years after first discovery
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 captured footage of the nearly one foot squid at a depth of 1,968 feet, using their remotely operated vehicle "SuBastian" on March 9, during an Ocean Census flagship expedition searching for new marine life. ROV SuBastian/Schmidt Ocean Institute Listen to article Marine scientists have, for the first time, recorded a live colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni) in its natural environment, nearly a century after the species was first discovered. The footage, captured at a depth of around 1,968 feet on March 9 by the Schmidt Ocean Institute's remotely operated vehicle 'SuBastian,' shows a juvenile squid roughly one foot long swimming near Antarctica. 'This is the first in situ footage of a juvenile colossal squid, and it's thrilling to finally observe this elusive species alive,' said Dr Kat Bolstad, a marine biologist at Auckland University of Technology who helped verify the identification. Colossal squids are known for their massive size and are among the ocean's most mysterious creatures. Adults can grow up to 23 feet and weigh over 1,100 pounds, with their deep-sea habitat making them notoriously difficult to study. Until now, knowledge about the species came mostly from remains found in the stomachs of predators like sperm whales. Their large, sensitive eyes and tendency to remain motionless may have helped them avoid detection by cameras and bright research lights, researchers said. The squid, classified under the Cranchiidae family or 'glass squids,' appeared transparent and featured tell-tale hooks on its tentacles—one of the species' distinguishing traits. Thom Linley, a deep-sea fish curator on board the expedition, first noticed the squid while preparing for a dive. Excited but uncertain, he quickly sent a low-resolution image to colleagues, sparking a flurry of analysis. Marine biologist Aaron Evans, a glass squid specialist, confirmed the find. 'When we saw the hook-bearing tentacles and location near Antarctica, we were overwhelmed. It was a major moment,' he said. The discovery occurred during an Ocean Census flagship expedition led by the Schmidt Ocean Institute to explore and catalogue marine biodiversity.
National Geographic
15-04-2025
- Science
- National Geographic
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.'
