Massive Antarctic Squid Caught Live on Camera for First Time Ever

Pesala Bandara
A red squid swims in dark ocean water, surrounded by tiny, scattered white particles. The National Geographic yellow rectangle logo appears in the top left corner.
First-known sighting of the squid Gonatus antarcticus alive, spotted by researchers on the National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Expedition in the Southern Ocean. (Photo and video by ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute)

For the first time, scientists have filmed a living Gonatus antarcticus squid — a deep-sea species never before seen alive.

Researchers on the National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Expedition made a breakthrough discovery in the Southern Ocean — capturing the first-ever footage of a Gonatus antarcticus squid alive, a mysterious creature previously known only from dead specimens.

The surprise sighting took place on Christmas Day in the Weddell Sea, when researchers aboard the Schmidt Ocean Institute’s vessel, R/V Falkor (too), spotted the elusive squid nearly 2,200 meters below the surface caught on camera using the research vessel’s remotely operated vehicle (ROV) SuBastian.

Measuring about three feet long, the deep-sea squid was identified by the distinctive single central hook on each of its tentacles — a key characteristic that researchers used to confirm that the creature was indeed a Gonatus antarcticus squid. The creature is different to the colossal squid that was filmed for the first time in April near the South Sandwich Islands.

“It’s not consistently visible, but it is definitely there,” Kat Bolstad, head of the Lab for Cephalopod Ecology and Systematics, says to National Geographic of the single, large hook found at the end of each of its longest tentacles.

Bolstad adds: “This is, to the best of my knowledge, the first live footage of this animal worldwide.”

At a depth of 2,152 meters in the Weddell Sea, researchers captured vivid images of the Gonatus antarcticus squid. The footage shows the brightly colored squid with a few scratches and sucker marks, but otherwise in good condition, according to National Geographic.

The team observed the squid for two to three minutes as it hovered calmly in the water. Using lasers, they measured its size, while the ROV pilot dimmed the lights to better observe how the squid behaves in its natural habitat. After a brief encounter, the squid suddenly darted away and disappeared into the deep.

The sighting highlights how much scientists have yet to learn about Earth’s polar seas. As part of their mission, the research team aboard the R/V Falkor (too) was mapping uncharted areas of the Southern Ocean and gathering samples from deep-sea habitats to better understand how climate change is affecting this largely untouched ecosystem.

Footage of the squid and other moments from this expedition will be used in a future National Geographic documentary. For more on this story, visit natgeo.com

Image credits: Photos and video by ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute.

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