National Geographic researchers made a breakthrough discovery in the Southern Ocean — capturing the first-ever footage of a living Gonatus antarcticus squid, a mysterious creature previously known only from dead specimens.
The three-foot-long deep-sea squid was spotted at a depth of 2152 meters in the Weddell Sea by the Schmidt Ocean Institute's remotely operated vehicle SuBastian.
"The large single central hook observed on each tentacle club clinched her confirmation that the squid was the elusive Gonatus antarcticus," according to squid expert Dr. Kathrin Bolstad, who worked on identifying the species.
Before this discovery, scientists had only encountered this Antarctic squid species as carcasses in fishing nets or by finding their beaks in the stomachs of other marine animals. The footage shows a seemingly healthy specimen despite some scratches and sucker marks.
This finding highlights how much remains unknown about our ocean's polar regions. The research team was exploring the Southern Ocean aboard the R/V Falkor (too), mapping previously unexplored sites and collecting samples from various deep-sea habitats to study the impact of climate change in this near-pristine ecosystem.
The footage will be featured in an upcoming National Geographic documentary.
For more on this story, visit natgeo.com.
Previously:
• How To: Harvest your own squid ink
• Elusive squid with biological headlights attacks undersea camera (video)
