For the first time, the colossal squid may have revealed its secret face

Here’s what you’ll learn as you read this story:

• Although it is the world’s largest invertebrate species, scientists have never caught a glimpse of a giant squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoniIn its natural habitat.

• However, a non-profit ocean research team called Colossal may have finally spotted a juvenile giant squid while traversing the waters around Antarctica. If true, this would be the first video of its kind.

• The team captured this footage by installing a deep-sea camera on a polar tourism ship.

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Humans spend their entire lives on land, but the earth we call home is actually a world of water. With 71 percent of the Earth’s surface covered by water, this expansive ecosystem has been difficult to study, and many deep-ocean animals remain a complete mystery. The most spellbinding of these animals is a giant squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni). When fully grown, this creature is about as long as a bus and weighs about 1,100 pounds.

Believed to inhabit the Southern Ocean around Antarctica, this giant cephalopod – the largest invertebrate species on the planet – has never been observed in its natural habitat. Scientists only get a good look at these animals when trawlers mistakenly catch them in their nets. But a new type of marine science study appeared to have struck gold last year when an international research team and a non-profit called Colossal stumbled upon a juvenile giant squid on one of its four trips to Antarctica from December 2022 to March 2023.

The team used a new approach to photographing the ocean – something called a polar tourism ship. Ocean effort With deep sea cameras. Thankfully, the research team released the footage, which website IFLS Science Post to YouTube immediately.

“Antarctica is experiencing rapid and complex changes, and a better understanding of these changes is important for the region’s ocean ecosystems,” The Colossal team wrote in a paper 2024 detailing the method. “The cost and logistical challenges of operating scientific research vessels prohibit the scaling of significant science and discovery in the region. However, the tourism industry in Antarctica is growing rapidly, and collaboration between tourism companies and researchers provides important access to the region.”

Leveraging tourism for marine exploration is a logical win, but finding verified footage of giant squid is as difficult as ever. The short clip of the specimen above is also unconfirmed, as the video may be filming an adult glass squid. Galiuthis Glacier Or perhaps a species completely unknown to science. The video is being peer-reviewed by experts, but it’s unlikely scientists will know for sure. But because footage of any squid species in the Southern Ocean is rare, the footage is a major victory for marine biologists who study these famously elusive animals.

“Two known Cranchiidae taxa occur in the Antarctic Galiuthis Glacier and Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoniAaron Evans, who is reviewing the footage, said IFLS Science. “The squid seen here could belong to different life stages of any of those taxa—and is an exciting example of wild cranchid behavior, because I can’t think of any existing video footage of any of those squids in their natural environment.”

However, the team’s goal is to capture footage of the adult giant squid in its natural environment, according to IFLS Science, The camera captured about 80 species. Among them were giant volcanic sponges, Antarctic sunflower stars, and many other marine invertebrates.

For now, the world’s largest invertebrate species frustratingly remains one of the animal kingdom’s greatest mysteries. But with marine biologists teaming up with tourism ships to explore the oceans, some of our watery planet’s biggest questions can slowly be answered.

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