Deep Sea Mystery Unveiled: Giant Legendary Squid Caught on Camera 600 Meters Below The Surface!

Dive into the mysterious depths of our planet, where the term ‘colossal’ literally comes to life with the debut dance of the Colossal Squid on camera. Imagine stalking the ocean’s darker corners not for a thriller flick, but to finally meet the elusive Behemoth of the deep – Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni — in its shadowy lair. So how often do you think a creature that might tip the scales at a ton just casually photobombs an ROV cruising through the bathysphere? I mean, talk about unique underwater content for SEO, right?

With a blend of awe and a dash of irony, we witness this prehistoric beast doing what it does best – swimming around like it’s not a big deal that it could wrestle with a sperm whale or even an unsuspecting ROV for funsies. Discovered in an expedition that could make Jaws look like an overly-ambitious minnow, this colossal spectacle was captured near the South Sandwich Islands. It’s like finding Bigfoot, but instead of a glimpse, we got the whole monster and its mysteries in its natural habitat.

Brace yourself for a visual feast of both intrigue and a bit of nostalgia as you journey through this article. And oh, did we mention it’s narrated by none other than the stellar Dr. Kat Bolstad, who probably had a bigger smile than the squid itself during this encounter. LEARN MORE.

“This is the first confirmed live observation of the colossal squid, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, at depth in its natural habitat. Pilots filmed the young 30-centimeter-long (one-foot) cephalopod at about 600m near the South Sandwich Islands as the Schmidt Ocean Institute’s remotely operated vehicle SuBastian descended through the water column on a dive aiming to discover new marine species, in partnership with Ocean Census during the #SouthSandwichIslands expedition.

Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni was formally described and named 100 years ago, in 1925, based on two partial specimens found in the stomach of a sperm whale near the South Shetland Islands. However, no one has ever captured footage of a living colossal squid until now.

Seabirds, marine mammals, and fishes prey on juvenile colossal squid. At full size, their only known predators are sperm whales and sleeper sharks, although remains of large adults have also been found in toothfish stomachs, likely scavenged. Experts believe colossal squid may reach total lengths of 6 to 7 meters and weigh about as much as a small Italian Fiat at more than 500 kilograms, making them the heaviest known invertebrate.

Dr Kat Bolstad, associate professor and lab leader of the Auckland University of Technology Lab, NZ, worked with glass squid expert Dr. Aaron Evans to help confirm this observation, and she narrated this video.” – Via

Schmidt Ocean