Nature & Environment

Live colossal squid is caught on camera for the first time ever

By T.K. Randall
April 20, 2025 ·  8 comments

It will be much larger when it grows up... Image Credit: YouTube / Schmidt Ocean Although these gargantuan cephalopods can grow up to 14 meters in length and weigh over 500kg, this particular specimen - which was filmed by scientists in the Atlantic - is only a juvenile.

Nonetheless, this is the first time a member of its species has ever been caught on camera alive.

The researchers had been on a 35-day expedition to a region of ocean near the South Sandwich Islands in an effort to film new species of marine life when they spotted it.

At the time, they didn't even know that it was a colossal squid.It was only when the footage was analyzed later that the significance of the clip was realized.

Measuring a mere 30cm in length, it was filmed approximately 600 meters beneath the surface.

Colossal squids are sighted so rarely that very little is know about them and it is impossible to tell how many of them are out there.

According to the Natural History Museum, the new footage - which has been hailed as one of the most important videos in years - "straddles the line between legend and reality."


Source: BBC News | Comments (8)

Tags: Colossal Squid