{"id":79849,"date":"2025-07-21T05:29:12","date_gmt":"2025-07-21T05:29:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/79849\/"},"modified":"2025-07-21T05:29:12","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T05:29:12","slug":"the-first-ever-footage-of-the-mysterious-antarctic-squid-seen-alive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/79849\/","title":{"rendered":"The First-Ever Footage of the Mysterious Antarctic Squid Seen Alive"},"content":{"rendered":"

For over a century, the Antarctic gonate squid (Gonatus antarcticus<\/strong>) had remained one of the most elusive and mysterious creatures of the deep. First discovered in 1898, the squid had only ever been observed in a deceased state, entangled in fishing nets or stranded along shores.<\/p>\n

A Breakthrough Discovery in the Weddell Sea<\/p>\n

The discovery occurred at a depth of around 7,000 feet<\/strong> in the Weddell Sea<\/a>, a region known for its icy waters and remote location beneath the Antarctic continent. Scientists on the Schmidt Ocean Institute\u2019s Falkor (too) vessel were using the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) SuBastian to explore the deep ocean when they spotted a flash of red in the dark depths. <\/p>\n

What followed was an extraordinary sight: a large squid, drifting gracefully through the water, releasing a cloud of greenish ink. For several minutes, the squid floated around the ROV, providing researchers with a rare opportunity to observe it in its natural environment.<\/p>\n

The footage also allowed the team to adjust the ROV\u2019s lighting and observe how the squid interacted with the darkness. Using lasers, they were able to measure the creature\u2019s size<\/a> <\/strong>before it darted away into the depths. Environmental scientist Kat Bolstad from Auckland University, who reviewed the footage, identified the squid as Gonatus antarcticus, marking the first live footage of this creature ever captured. \u201cThis is, to the best of my knowledge, the first live footage of this animal worldwide,\u201d Bolstad told National Geographic<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The History of the Antarctic Gonate Squid<\/p>\n

The Antarctic gonate squid was first discovered by Swedish zoologist Einar L\u00f6nnberg in 1898, who encountered a dead specimen washed ashore in the Strait of Magellan, at the southern tip of South America. Later, additional specimens were found trapped in fishing nets. Based on these findings, L\u00f6nnberg and other scientists concluded that Gonatus antarcticus was distinct from its close relative Gonatus fabricii. <\/p>\n

The squid\u2019s long, slender mantle and extended tail set it apart from other species, while its small tentacle clubs and muscular arms contributed to its unique physical characteristics. Despite these observations, little was known about the behavior and ecology of this deep-sea squid, as no live specimens had ever been studied.<\/p>\n

This lack of live observations kept the creature shrouded in mystery. It was only through the analysis of dead specimens and beaks found inside predator stomachs that scientists were able to glean limited knowledge about its existence. As such, the live footage captured in December 2024 was a major scientific milestone.<\/p>\n

Camouflage and Behavior in the Deep Sea<\/p>\n

The footage of Gonatus antarcticus revealed a key survival strategy: its deep red coloration. In the pitch-black depths of the Weddell Sea, red light cannot penetrate. This adaptation is shared by many deep-sea creatures that live in the twilight and midnight zones, where light from the surface fails to reach.<\/p>\n

In the footage, the squid was also seen releasing a cloud of greenish ink, likely as a defense mechanism. The squid<\/a> appeared to be in good health, though it showed some signs of injury. Marks on its mantle resembled hook marks, possibly from a run-in with a larger predator<\/a>, such as a colossal squid. <\/p>\n

Researchers speculated that this interaction could explain the squid\u2019s visible scars<\/strong>. The footage added to the growing body of knowledge about how these creatures interact with their environment, but many questions about their behavior remain unanswered.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For over a century, the Antarctic gonate squid (Gonatus antarcticus) had remained one of the most elusive and…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":79850,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[159,67,132,68,837],"class_list":{"0":"post-79849","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wildlife","8":"tag-science","9":"tag-united-states","10":"tag-unitedstates","11":"tag-us","12":"tag-wildlife"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114889579892426893","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79849","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79849"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79849\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79850"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79849"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79849"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79849"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}