The elusive giant squid has finally been captured on video, a century after its initial discovery.
A team of scientists aboard the Schmidt Ocean Institute's research vessel Falkor captured video of the not-so-giant 11.8-inch-long (30-centimeter-long) specimen swimming in the ocean off the South Sandwich Islands at a depth of about 1,968 feet (600 meters).
A video taken March 9 in the South Atlantic Ocean by the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) SuBastian shows the translucent baby squid slowly moving through the ocean depths, its tiny tentacles dangling behind it.
A juvenile giant squid has been captured near the South Sandwich Islands.
“Seeing the first in situ footage of a young giant is incredibly exciting, and sad to know that they have no idea that humans exist,” said Kat Bolstad, a squid researcher at the Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand who served as an independent scientific expert to analyse the footage. “For 100 years, we’ve mostly encountered them as scraps in the stomachs of whales and seabirds, and as predators feeding on captured toothfish.”
The colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni) is larger than even the famous giant squid (Architeuthis dux). These creatures are considered the largest invertebrates on the planet, reaching lengths of up to 46 feet (14 m) — the length of a semi-trailer — and weighing up to 1,100 pounds (500 kg). They have the largest eyes of any known animal, which can reach 11 inches (27 cm) in diameter — about the size of a football.
The squid measured just under 12 inches long. Adults can reach 46 feet in length.
These unusual creatures live at great depths beneath the Antarctic waters of the Southern Ocean. As they age, they dive deeper, with the youngest and smallest squid found at depths of about 1,640 feet (500 m), juveniles at depths of 1,600 to 6,600 feet (500 to 2,000 m), and fully mature individuals found even deeper.
This year marks 100 years since the giant squid was officially identified and named, but very few people have seen it in all those years. The species was first discovered after two of its limbs were found in the stomach of a sperm whale in the winter of 1924-25.
The new video is the first live observation of the species in its natural environment.
Sourse: www.livescience.com
