Elusive deep-sea squid caught on camera for the first time: Watch
- On Christmas Day 2024, researchers aboard the Schmidt Ocean Institute’s R/V Falkor recorded the first-ever live footage of a three-foot-long deep-sea squid, Gonatus antarcticus, while exploring waters near Antarctica in the Weddell Sea region.
- The expedition originally aimed to explore the Powell Basin but changed plans due to fast-moving ice floes that posed danger to ships, leading to the surprise encounter at about 2,152 meters deep.
- The remotely operated vehicle SuBastian recorded the squid releasing a greenish ink cloud and showed fresh scratches and sucker marks, indicating recent interactions possibly with other squids or predators.
- Squid specialist Dr. Kathrin Bolstad verified the species by noting the distinctive large central hooks on each tentacle, adding that, as far as she is aware, this represents the very first time live footage of this squid has ever been captured.
- This discovery fills gaps in understanding Southern Ocean deep-sea ecosystems and highlights the importance of continued exploration of these remote and unexplored habitats.
25 Articles
25 Articles
So far, the elusive creature had only been documented as a cadaver in fishing by-catch. Now the animal in Antarctica swam a diving robot in front of the camera.
Rare deep-sea squid captured alive on camera for the first time
National Geographic researchers made a breakthrough discovery in the Southern Ocean — capturing the first-ever footage of a living Gonatus antarcticus squid, a mysterious creature previously known only from dead specimens. The three-foot-long deep-sea squid was spotted at a depth of 2152 meters in the Weddell Sea by the Schmidt Ocean Institute's remotely operated vehicle SuBastian. — Read the rest The post Rare deep-sea squid captured alive on c…
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