International researchers have caught on camera a deep-sea colossal squid living in its natural habitat for the first time. The creature, a juvenile spotted in the South Atlantic, was almost entirely transparent. An international research team has caught images in the Atlantic Ocean depths of a baby colossal squid — and is now setting its sights on tracking down the elusive adult.
Marine biologists believe colossal squids can grow up to seven meters (23 feet) in length and weigh as much as 500 kilograms (1100 pounds), which makes them the heaviest invertebrate on the planet. How much do we know about the colossal squid? The footage taken off the South Atlantic's South Sandwich Islands last month was taken as part of an expedition to encounter new sea life, California's Schmidt Ocean Institute said. Viewed some 600 meters (nearly 2,000 feet) below the surface, the young squid is only about 30 centimeters (a foot) long with a transparent appearance and thin arms.
Not much is known about the colossal squid's life cycle, but eventually, they lose the see-through appearance of the juveniles. Fishermen have previously filmed dying adults, but they have never been seen alive at depth. "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 Kat Bolstad of the Auckland University of Technology, one of the independent scientific experts the team consulted to verify the footage.
Underwater highways: A.
