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Researchers have discovered the first-ever live footage of a rare deep-sea squid species in Antarctic waters. The team spotted the blood-red creature 7,060 feet below the ocean’s surface on December 25, 2024. Led by scientists and technical experts, this mission-critical moment sparks a significant milestone, announced National Geographic. Although scientists have known about the species for over a century, observing it alive is a rare opportunity. This discovery could shed new light on the species’ behavior and ecology. The squid’s unique features and deep-sea habitat make it a fascinating subject for further research.
Blood-red squid spotted alive by the researchers
The squid, nearly 0.9 meters long, was identified by a single large hook on the ends of its two tentacles. These hooks likely enable the creature to grasp and subdue prey during the swift ambush attacks. The rare species was spotted ‘blood-red’ under the ROV’s lights- a remotely operated vehicle. The squid was seen drifting silently through the pitch-dark bathypelagic zone. Scientists were planning to take the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to the Powell Basin, which is an unexplored abyssal plain that plummets to around 9,800 feet deep. However, the launch got postponed because of the sea ice. The researchers then chose a new site at the outer edge of the Powell Basin for the next day, when they witnessed a squid alive for the first time.
Researchers quote the discovery as “mission-critical.”
A postdoctoral researcher at Instituto de Diversidad y Ecologia Animal who was aboard the ship, Manuel Novillo, said, as quoted in the report, “It was our mission critical.” She added, “The ice blocks were moving so fast, it would put all the ships in danger, so we had to rearrange everything.”Novillo’s team sent the footage to Kat Bolstad, the head of the Lab for Cephalopod Ecology and Systematics at Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand.She confirmed it was an Antarctic gonate squid. “This is, to the best of my knowledge, the first live footage of this animal worldwide.”The team of scientists and technical experts onboard the Schmidt Ocean Institute’s ship RV Falkor (too) spotted the blood-red creature.An ecologist at the University of Exeter, Alex Hayward presented his view that the squid’s hook adaptations point to its predator role in this deep-sea ecosystem. The footage, analysed and confirmed by Bolstad’s team, marks a major step in understanding deep-sea life. The creature’s sudden appearance offers a rare look into the lives of animals that live beyond human reach, in a world lit only by bioluminescence.Also read| 160 million-year-old blue-stain fungi in China found to be harmful to trees
