For the first time, a colossal squid has been captured on video swimming in its natural habitat. This remarkable event was reported by the Schmidt Ocean Institute, a California-based research organization. The colossal squid, known as Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, is recognized as the largest squid species in the world, capable of growing up to 23 feet long and weighing as much as 1,100 pounds.
The footage was taken on March 9 near the South Sandwich Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, at a depth of nearly 2,000 feet. During a 35-day expedition aimed at discovering new marine life, scientists aboard the institute’s research vessel, Falkor, used a remotely operated vehicle called SuBastian to record the squid. The creature seen in the video was a juvenile, measuring about one foot in length.
Colossal squids have been known to science since 1925, but this is the first time one has been observed alive in the wild. Previously, encounters with these creatures were limited to finding their remains in the stomachs of predators like whales and seabirds. The transparency of their bodies makes them difficult to spot in the deep ocean.
Kat Bolstad, a scientist from Auckland University of Technology, expressed excitement about the discovery. She noted that it is humbling to realize these squids live without any knowledge of human existence. The footage provides a rare glimpse into the life of a species that has mostly been a mystery to researchers.
In addition to the colossal squid, the Schmidt Ocean Institute reported capturing video of another squid species, the glacial glass squid, during a separate expedition earlier this year. This highlights the ongoing efforts to explore and understand the diverse marine life in the Southern Ocean, an area that remains largely unexplored.
The discovery of these squids underscores how little we know about the ocean’s depths and its inhabitants. As researchers continue their work, they hope to uncover more secrets of the deep sea, shedding light on the lives of creatures that have eluded human observation for so long.