Thursday April 17, 2025
Discover Wildlife —
Deep sea scientists have filmed a live colossal squid in its natural environment for the first time since the species was named 100 years ago.
In a surprising twist, the individual – caught on film at a depth of 600 metres by researchers onboard Schmidt Ocean Institute’s Falkor (too) – was a baby.
Reaching up to seven metres long and tipping the scales at 500kg, the colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni) is the heaviest invertebrate on Earth. But this see-through juvenile measured just 30 centimetres long.
“It’s exciting to see the first in situ footage of a juvenile colossal and humbling to think that they have no idea that humans exist,” says Dr. Kat Bolstad of the Auckland University of Technology, one of the independent experts who verified the footage.