GUWAHATI: A juvenile colossal squid has been captured on camera in the deep sea for the first time.
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Researchers confirmed the development on Wednesday, April 16, as the sighting was made by an international team aboard a remotely operated submersible operated by the Schmidt Ocean Institute.
The squid, measuring approximately 30 centimetres in length, was filmed at a depth of 600 metres in the South Atlantic Ocean near the South Sandwich Islands. Though small in size, the juvenile belongs to a species that can grow up to 7 metres long — nearly the size of a small fire truck — making them the largest known invertebrates in the world.
The footage was recorded last month during an expedition aimed at discovering new marine life, but the researchers delayed the announcement while awaiting independent confirmation of the species.
Juvenile colossal squids are nearly transparent, with delicate arms. As they mature, their appearance changes, becoming an opaque red or purple. The adult form remains elusive and is rarely seen alive, with most specimens previously recovered from the stomachs of predators like sperm whales.