Latest news with #G.glacialis
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Glacial Glass Squid Filmed for the First Time In This Beautiful Footage
In January, the Schmidt Ocean Institute was on a research expedition in the Bellingshausen Sea near Antarctica. It was a once-in-a-lifetime trip, because a massive slab of an iceberg had just calved off the George VI ice shelf and it was the first time scientists were able to have a look at what goes on down there in the hours and days after a calving event of that size. While they found many interesting things floating around down there, a few stood out. The one that stood out the most was the first-ever footage of an exceedingly rare creature called the Galiteuthis glacialis, a glacial glass squid to the layperson. The expedition, which took place over 35 days, had deep-sea expert named Dr. Thom Linley from the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa along for the ride. As he was poring over the feed from the ROV making its way along the never-before-seen piece of seafloor, he spotted the glacial glass squid. At 2,254 feet deep, he was sure that he was the watching the first footage of a live specimen ever. 'In the footage,' a press release reads, 'the transparent G. glacialis positions its arms loosely above its head, similar to the cockatoo pose commonly observed in other glass squids… G. glacialis is a glass squid species that has never been seen alive in its natural environment before.' Amazingly, the glacial glass squid wasn't the only first-ever footage the researchers managed to catch. They also filmed the very first footage of a colossal squid. It's a testament to just how much there is to learn about our planet. 'The first sighting of two different squids on back-to-back expeditions is remarkable and shows how little we have seen of the magnificent inhabitants of the Southern Ocean,' said Schmidt Ocean Institute's executive director, Dr. Jyotika Virmani. 'Fortunately, we caught enough high-resolution imagery of these creatures to allow the global experts, who were not on the vessel, to identify both species.'
The Independent
17-04-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Stunned scientists capture first video of colossal squid in the deep
Nearly a century after its initial discovery, scientists have captured footage of the colossal squid swimming in its natural deep sea environment for the first time, shedding new light on the elusive giant creature. The colossal squid, scientifically named Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, is the world's largest invertebrate, growing to a maximum of about 10 metres in length and reaching a mass of nearly half a metric tonne. It is also the world's largest mollusc and has the largest eyes of any known creature with a diameter of nearly 30 centimetres. However, until now, the colossal species has only been studied based on specimens found in the guts of whales that washed ashore or from rare individuals that got scooped up accidentally by fishing boats. Very little is known about the giant deep sea creature's life cycle. Now, a video of a 30-centimetre-long (11 inches) juvenile of the squid species has been captured in a world first by researchers on board the Schmidt Ocean Institute's research vessel Falkor during a month-long expedition near the South Sandwich Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. Scientists captured the footage on 9 March using the institute's remotely operated submersible vehicle SuBastian, at a depth of 600 m (1968 ft). '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, a leading squid and octopus researcher at the Auckland University of Technology.. 'For 100 years, we have mainly encountered them as prey remains in whale and seabird stomachs and as predators of harvested toothfish,' said Dr Bolstad, who verified the footage for the Schmidt Ocean Institute. One of the unique features of the colossal squid is the see-through appearance of juveniles that gradually disappear as they grow up. The presence of hooks on the middle of their eight arms also differentiates them from their close relative, G. glacialis, whose first deep sea footage was recorded in January near Antarctica. 'The first sighting of two different squids on back-to-back expeditions is remarkable and shows how little we have seen of the magnificent inhabitants of the Southern Ocean,' said Jyotika Virmani, executive director of the Schmidt Ocean Institute. 'These unforgettable moments continue to remind us that the Ocean is brimming with mysteries yet to be solved,' Dr Virmani said.
The Independent
16-04-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Scientists stunned to capture first video of colossal squid in the deep
Nearly a century after its initial discovery, scientists have captured footage of the colossal squid swimming in its natural deep sea environment for the first time, shedding new light on the elusive giant creature. The colossal squid, scientifically named Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, is the world's largest invertebrate, growing to a maximum of about 10 metres in length and reaching a mass of nearly half a metric tonne. It is also the world's largest mollusc and has the largest eyes of any known creature with a diameter of nearly 30 centimetres. However, until now, the colossal species has only been studied based on specimens found in the guts of whales that washed ashore or from rare individuals that got scooped up accidentally by fishing boats. Very little is known about the giant deep sea creature's life cycle. Now, a video of a 30-centimetre-long (11 inches) juvenile of the squid species has been captured in a world first by researchers on board the Schmidt Ocean Institute's research vessel Falkor during a month-long expedition near the South Sandwich Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. Scientists captured the footage on 9 March using the institute's remotely operated submersible vehicle SuBastian, at a depth of 600 m (1968 ft). '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, a leading squid and octopus researcher at the Auckland University of Technology.. 'For 100 years, we have mainly encountered them as prey remains in whale and seabird stomachs and as predators of harvested toothfish,' said Dr Bolstad, who verified the footage for the Schmidt Ocean Institute. One of the unique features of the colossal squid is the see-through appearance of juveniles that gradually disappear as they grow up. The presence of hooks on the middle of their eight arms also differentiates them from their close relative, G. glacialis, whose first deep sea footage was recorded in January near Antarctica. 'The first sighting of two different squids on back-to-back expeditions is remarkable and shows how little we have seen of the magnificent inhabitants of the Southern Ocean,' said Jyotika Virmani, executive director of the Schmidt Ocean Institute. 'These unforgettable moments continue to remind us that the Ocean is brimming with mysteries yet to be solved,' Dr Virmani said.
