Giant of the Deep: Colossal Squid Spotted Alive for the First Time Ever!

“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,” said Dr. Kat Bolstad, a cephalopod biologist at the Auckland University of Technology, in a press release.

“For 100 years, we have mainly encountered them as prey remains in whale and seabird stomachs and as predators of harvested toothfish,” Bolstad continued.

Schmidt Ocean InstituteThe remotely operated vehicle, SuBastian, that filmed the squid.

Although only a few specimens have ever been fully observed, colossal squids are estimated to grow up to 23 feet in length and can weigh up to 1,100 pounds, making them the heaviest invertebrate on the planet. The life cycle of the colossal squid is relatively unknown, but based on observations, it is clear that the squids have a translucent appearance as juveniles and become more opaque as they mature into adulthood.

Fishermen had previously reported seeing dying colossal squids near the surface of the ocean, but before now, the squids had never been seen alive in the deep sea.

Schmidt Ocean InstituteROV SuBastian being lowered into the ocean at sunset.

Chief scientist Dr. Michelle Taylor of the University of Essex said the team was initially unsure what the squid was but kept filming it because it was “beautiful and unusual,” per the BBC.

Even more remarkably, just two months prior, on Jan. 25, a previous team on the Falkor (too) had also captured the first confirmed footage of another elusive squid, the glacial glass squid (Galiteuthis glacialis) in the Southern Ocean near Antarctica — yet another species that had never been seen alive in its natural environment.