The colossal squid was identified and named 100 years ago, but humans have never actually seen one swimming around in its natural habitat until now.
According to the Schmidt Ocean Institute, the SuBastian, a remotely operated vehicle deployed from the institute’s research vessel, called Falkor (too), captured footage of the juvenile colossal squid on March 9. It happened near the South Sandwich Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, about 430 miles southeast of South Georgia.
Any discovery like this is a big deal, but this one is a bit cuter because it isn’t just any colossal squid; it’s a baby.
The juvenile squid looks almost like it’s made from glass. Its transparent body shows off its internal organs, and the slow movement of its orange tentacles draws attention to its glowing eyes.
Scientists observed two curved hooks on the clubs at the ends of the squid’s long tentacles. There are also hooks on the middle of its eight arms, an essential feature for colossal squids.
It’s a juvenile, so still has a transparent body that more closely resembles the creatures known as glass squids. The baby squid will lose that transparency as it ages.
The video was taken at a depth of 1,968 feet, and the juvenile squid is nearly a foot long. A grown colossal squid can grow up to an estimated seven feet long and weigh up to 1,110 pounds, making it the heaviest invertebrate on the planet.
We don’t know much about how colossal squids live since they’re hard to observe in their natural habitat. Scientists have found them in the stomachs of sperm whales, so it’s a huge development to get video in the deep sea. Colossal squids are still a mystery, but a little less of one now.
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