Palo Alto, California – An international team of scientists aboard the Schmidt Ocean Institute’s R/V Falkor (too) has captured the first-ever video of a colossal squid in its natural environment.

The footage shows a 30-centimeter juvenile colossal squid filmed at a depth of 600 meters near the South Sandwich Islands. The event took place on March 9, during an expedition in the South Atlantic Ocean.

The colossal squid, formally identified 100 years ago, belongs to the glass squid family. Until now, it had mainly been known through remains found in whales and seabirds.

Earlier, on January 25, the team filmed the glacial glass squid in the Southern Ocean near Antarctica. This was also the first confirmed sighting of that species alive in its habitat.

The 35-day expedition was part of the Ocean Census project, a collaboration involving the Schmidt Ocean Institute, the Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census, and GoSouth.

Experts like Dr. Kat Bolstad and Dr. Aaron Evans confirmed the identification of the colossal squid and the glacial glass squid. One unique feature of the colossal squid is the presence of hooks on the middle of its eight arms.

Colossal squids can grow up to seven meters long and weigh up to 500 kilograms, making them the heaviest invertebrates on Earth. Adults lose the transparent appearance seen in juveniles.

During the January expedition, deep-sea expert Dr. Thom Linley observed the glacial glass squid at 687 meters in the Bellingshausen Sea after an iceberg broke away from the George VI ice shelf.

Dr. Michelle Taylor, chief scientist of the expedition, praised the collaborative effort to capture and verify these rare sightings. She emphasized the importance of global science networks in advancing marine discovery.

Schmidt Ocean Institute’s executive director, Dr. Jyotika Virmani, noted that the back-to-back discoveries highlight how much of the Southern Ocean remains unexplored.

The ROV SuBastian has now recorded the first confirmed footage of at least four squid species, underscoring the ocean’s many remaining mysteries.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download