Live Colossal Squid Sighting On Film For The First Time In 100 years
The vast ocean still holds secrets that scientists are only beginning to uncover. Despite covering more than 70 percent of our planet, large parts are unexplored, especially in the deep sea where sunlight never reaches.
Every expedition into those dark depths brings the chance to see something no human has ever witnessed before, and sometimes, those moments come in the form of creatures we thought we knew only from washed‑up specimens or scattered bits in whale stomachs.
Earlier this spring, researchers got just such a moment: live footage of a juvenile colossal squid, recorded for the first time in its natural habitat. The rare sighting occurred on March 9 when SuBastian, Schmidt Ocean Institute’s remotely operated vehicle (ROV), spotted the squid about 600 metres off the South Sandwich Islands.
According to the team, the little squid measured roughly 30 centimetres long - tiny compared to the seven‑metre adults we’ve only ever found deceased. Discovered more than a century ago, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni has long been known as the world’s largest invertebrate by weight, tipping the scales at up to 500 kilograms.
Until now, our understanding of this species has come from dead specimens stranded on beaches or hauled up inside the stomachs of sperm whales. Seeing a live, juvenile individual gliding through the inky water is a milestone in squid biology and deep‑sea exploration.
A juvenile colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni) gliding through its natural Atlantic Ocean habitat.
This finding was part of a 35‑day expedition led by Schmidt Ocean Institute in collaboration with the Nippon Foundation–Nekton Ocean Census, along with research teams from the UK and Germany. Their goal: to survey poorly studied regions of the Southern Ocean and back up that work with high‑definition video and environmental data.
So far, SuBastian has captured the first confirmed footage of at least four deep‑sea squid species, and the team knows there are more mysteries waiting to be identified.
Experts on board quickly confirmed the squid’s identity by looking for two key features: a clear, almost see‑through body and a series of hooks along its arms. Those hooks help distinguish this species from others, like the glacial glass squid (Galiteuthis glacialis). In fact, a glacial glass squid was filmed live for the first time just weeks earlier, during a Schmidt Ocean Institute mission in January in the Bellingshausen Sea off Antarctica.
“The first sighting of two different squids on back‑to‑back expeditions is remarkable,” said Dr Jyotika Virmani, Schmidt Ocean Institute’s executive director. “It shows how little we’ve seen of life in the Southern Ocean.”
These juvenile squid can grow up to seven metres in length when fully mature.
Beyond the colossal squid, SuBastian has already recorded footage of several other species that dwell in these deep, cold waters. One remains unidentified, still awaiting a closer look by taxonomists.
As these videos roll in, they’re helping scientists piece together an ecosystem where few have ventured and even fewer have studied.
“These moments remind us just how much of the ocean remains unexplored,” Dr Virmani added. “Every time that camera lights up, we learn something new - and most of it is completely unexpected.”
Dr Kat Bolstad, a cephalopod specialist who helped verify the giant squid footage, called the discovery thrilling and humbling. “It’s exciting to see the first in situ footage of a juvenile colossal and humbling to think that they have no idea humans exist,” she said.
She explained that that sense of wonder comes from realizing that these animals have evolved over millions of years without ever needing to know about us, and yet here we are, getting our first real look at how they live.
The team’s work isn’t just about flashy video. Each dive collects water chemistry data, temperature readings, and samples of microscopic life, all of which feed into broader efforts to map and protect the ocean’s biodiversity.
By combining high‑resolution imagery with environmental sensors, researchers can start to understand the conditions that allow species like the colossal squid to thrive, and how things might change as the climate warms.
Filming a live colossal squid may grab headlines, but the data behind the images will shape our understanding of the deep sea for years to come. The expedition continues through the end of March, and scientists already have plans for follow‑up trips to track other elusive creatures.
In the meantime, this glimpse of a juvenile giant - alive, agile, and utterly unaware of its fame - reminds us that exploring our planet can be just as thrilling as venturing to distant stars.
