For the first time, researchers captured footage of a live colossal squid in its natural habitat in the deep sea around the South Sandwich Islands.
In a video shared by The Associated Press, squid researcher from the Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand, Dr. Kat Bolstad, states that Schmidt Ocean Institute captured the first live footage of a small colossal squid during a deep sea discovery expedition around the South Sandwich Islands.
“They were not specifically targeting the colossal squid. They were looking to see what deep sea animals were around,” Bolstad says in the video.
The research team was initially observing the water column in a relatively “understudied” area of the deep sea around the South Sandwich Islands when they spotted the squid, Bolstad explains in the video.
Throughout the video, the footage captured of the transparent deep sea squid is shown.
“I really love that we have seen a young colossal squid first,” Bolstad says in the video. “This animal is so beautiful, it helps us to shine a bit of a light on the animal without some of that monster frenzy hype that we may get when we eventually do see a large colossal squid.”
Bolstad was also one of the scientific experts who aided in verifying the video of the colossal squid, according to NBC.
The footage of the squid was captured by a remotely operated vehicle named SuBastian. The filmed juvenile squid measured at one foot (30 centimeters) long and was found at 1,968 feet (600 meters) below the surface in the South Atlantic Ocean, reported AP.
According to NBC, the squid was first identified and named in 1925, with its scientific name being Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni. But, until now, it has never been captured on video.
The Schmidt Ocean Institute’s ROV SuBastian has been able to capture first-time footage of “at least four squid species in the wild,” including the Promachoteuthis and the ram’s horn squid, according to NBC.
“These unforgettable moments continue to remind us that the ocean is brimming with mysteries yet to be solved,” said Dr. Jyotika Virmani, executive director of the Schmidt Ocean Institute, according to The Weather Channel.
How big is a colossal squid?
According to AP, a full-grown adult colossal squid can reach up to 23 feet in length, which is almost equivalent to the size of a small fire truck.
When they’re young, colossal squids have thin arms and are almost completely transparent. As they grow into adults, they lose their glassy appearance and turn an opaque dark red or purple.
According to The Weather Channel, colossal squids are the heaviest invertebrate on the planet, with an adult weighing more than 1,000 pounds.
Why are colossal squids so rare?
Due to colossal squids living in a vast area of the ocean, at depths that humans don’t visit often, they are rarely observed or captured, according to Britannica.
Scientists have previously found full-grown adult colossal squids from the bellies of whales and other sea creatures, reported AP.
While its elusiveness makes it hard for scientists and researchers to learn more about the species, the lack of human activity and other forces makes it one animal that the International Union of Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources doesn’t have to worry about, per Britannica.