Latest news with #WeddellSea
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
It took over 100 years for humans to see this squid alive for the first time
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, BGR may receive an affiliate commission. We've known about the existence of the rare Antarctic gonate squid since 1898. However, it has taken us over 100 years to actually see this squid alive. The creature dwells far beneath the glaciers of the Antarctic, and has been a long-sought-after discovery for over a century. But it took complete chance for scientists to catch sight of this rare creature for the first time. According to a new report shared by National Geographic, the Antarctic gonate squid first washed up on shore in the late 1800s. However, expeditions to the far southern areas of our world had never netted scientists with a live view of this rare squid. That was until last year, when scientists on board the Schmidt Ocean Institute's Falkor (too) had to stop short of their original planned study area due to hazardous weather. Today's Top Deals Best deals: Tech, laptops, TVs, and more sales Best Ring Video Doorbell deals Memorial Day security camera deals: Reolink's unbeatable sale has prices from $29.98 The result of that stop was our first look at this rare squid, which drifts through the cold waters of the dark Antarctic waters of the Weddell Sea. The squid was spotted roughly 7,000 feet below the surface, at the edge of an area known as the Powell Basin. The researchers watched as the squid drifted through the water, eventually releasing a cloud of greenish ink. Despite being known about for over a hundred years, many scientists believe this is the first look we have ever had of this rare squid in the wild and still alive. At roughly three feet long, the Antarctic gonate squid is not quite as large as some of the giant squids we've seen in the ocean. However, its elusiveness has made it that much more intriguing of a target for researchers. Little is known about the exact whereabouts of these rare squids, or how many are even still alive to this day. This discovery is also another reminder of just how vast and mysterious our oceans are. The fact that scientists continue to discover strange creatures at the bottom of the ocean is both exciting and somewhat terrifying. To put it into perspective, it is often said that we know more about the surface of Mars than we know about our own oceans. And that's saying a lot, because we still know so little about our neighboring planet, despite years of exploration by NASA's rovers. More Top Deals Amazon gift card deals, offers & coupons 2025: Get $2,000+ free See the
CBS News
11-06-2025
- Science
- CBS News
Elusive Antarctic squid spotted alive in the wild for the first time, captured on video
Unprecedented footage of an elusive deep-sea creature came to light this week. On an expedition through the Southern Ocean last Christmas Day, researchers discovered the Gonatus antarcticus, a mysterious species of squid known to roam the freezing waters around Antarctica but never seen alive before in its natural habitat. The crew of Schmidt Ocean Institute's research vessel, the R/V Falkor (too), encountered the squid by happenstance, according to National Geographic, which led the expedition through its nonprofit, the National Geographic Society, and on Tuesday published photos and video of the historic find. The research vessel's remotely operated vehicle, called SuBastian, captured the footage that's also set to appear in an upcoming National Geographic documentary. Presented by National Geographic Society in partnership with Rolex. A National Geographic Society expedition spotted an Antarctic gonate squid alive for the first time—helping researchers form theories around this mysterious species. — National Geographic (@NatGeo) June 10, 2025 In the first look released this week, a three-foot-long multicolored squid shimmers in pitch-dark, appearing to glow as it floats. Crew members recalled to National Geographic a cloud of green ink ejected from the animal as the machine approached, suggesting it was startled. The creature was spotted about 7,000 feet below the surface of the Weddell Sea, a remote area near the Antarctic peninsula. Researchers have yet to confirm the squid's sex or age based on the footage. Before this encounter, evidence of the Antarctic gonate squid had come exclusively in the form of carcasses caught in fishing nets or in the stomachs of its predators, National Geographic said. This particular squid was determined to be "in good shape" outside of some scratches and sucker marks. Researchers discovered the Gonatus antarcticus, a mysterious species of squid. National Geographic The Antarctic gonate is among a group of large and elusive deep-sea squid species native to the Southern Ocean, which have for the most part evaded human contact. Another, the colossal squid, was filmed alive for the first time ever in March, during a different research expedition by the Schmidt Ocean Institute around the South Sandwich Islands.
The Independent
11-06-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Deep sea squid caught on camera for the first time in ‘history-making sighting'
An incredibly rare deep sea squid has been caught on camera for the first time. Researchers on an expedition in the Southern Ocean filmed the elusive three-foot creature on Christmas Day 2024 at a depth of 2152 metres. National Geographic shared footage of the 'history-making sighting' of the Gonatus antarcticus squid in the Weddell Sea on Tuesday (10 June). Manuel Novillo, a scientist onboard the research ship, said that the expedition was not meant to be in the area that day but poor weather conditions and dangerous sea ice caused them to reroute where they then spotted the creature. Prior to the sighting, the existence of the vibrantly-coloured species was only known thanks to its remains being found in fishing nets and the stomachs of marine animals.
Free Malaysia Today
11-06-2025
- Science
- Free Malaysia Today
Emperor penguin populations declining faster than expected
Some emperor penguin colonies have lost all their chicks from thinning ice plunging hatchlings into the sea before they were old enough. (Envato Elements pic) PARIS : Emperor penguin populations in Antarctica have shrunk by almost a quarter as global warming transforms their icy habitat, according to new research today that warned the losses were far worse than previously imagined. Scientists monitoring the world's largest penguin species used satellites to assess sixteen colonies in the Antarctic Peninsula, Weddell Sea and Bellingshausen Sea, representing nearly a third of the global emperor penguin population. What they found was 'probably about 50% worse' than even the most pessimistic estimate of current populations using computer modelling, said Peter Fretwell, who tracks wildlife from space at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). Researchers know that climate change is driving the losses but the speed of the declines is a particular cause for alarm. The study, published in the journal Nature Communications: Earth & Environment, found that numbers declined 22% in the 15 years to 2024 for the colonies monitored. This compares with an earlier estimate of a 9.5% reduction across Antarctica as a whole between 2009 and 2018. Warming is thinning and destabilising the ice under the penguins' feet in their breeding grounds. In recent years some colonies have lost all their chicks because the ice has given way beneath them, plunging hatchlings into the sea before they were old enough to cope with the freezing ocean. Fretwell said the new research suggests penguin numbers have been declining since the monitoring began in 2009. That is even before global warming was having a major impact on the sea ice, which forms over open water adjacent to land in the region. But he said the culprit is still likely to be climate change, with warming driving other challenges for the penguins, such as higher rainfall or increasing encroachment from predators. 'Emperor penguins are probably the most clear-cut example of where climate change is really showing its effect,' said Fretwell. 'There's no fishing. There's no habitat destruction. There's no pollution which is causing their populations to decline.' 'It's just the temperatures in the ice on which they breed and live, and that's really climate change.' Emperor penguins, aka Aptenodytes forsteri, number about a quarter of a million breeding pairs, all in Antarctica, according to a 2020 study. A baby emperor penguin emerges from an egg kept warm in winter by a male, while the female in a breeding pair embarks on a two-month fishing expedition. When she returns to the colony, she feeds the hatchling by regurgitating. To survive on their own, chicks must develop waterproof feathers, a process that typically starts in mid-December. Fretwell said there is hope that the penguins may go further south in the future but added that it is not clear 'how long they're going to last out there'. Computer models have projected that the species will be near extinction by the end of the century if humans do not slash their planet-heating emissions. The latest study suggests the picture could be even worse. 'We may have to rethink those models now with this new data,' said Fretwell. 'We really do need to look at the rest of the population to see if this worrying result transfers around the continent,' he added. But he stressed there was still time to reduce the threat to the penguins. 'We've got this really depressing picture of climate change and falling populations even faster than we thought but it's not too late,' he said. 'We're probably going to lose a lot of emperor penguins along the way but if people do change, and if we do reduce or turn around our climate emissions, then then we will save the emperor penguin.'
RNZ News
11-06-2025
- Science
- RNZ News
Emperor penguin populations in Antarctica declining faster than expected
Photo: AFP / Biosphoto By Kelly Macnamara , AFP Emperor penguin populations in Antarctica have shrunk by almost a quarter as global warming transforms their icy habitat, according to new research on Tuesday that warned the losses were far worse than previously imagined. Scientists monitoring the world's largest penguin species used satellites to assess sixteen colonies in the Antarctic Peninsula, Weddell Sea and Bellingshausen Sea, representing nearly a third of the global emperor penguin population. What they found was "probably about 50-percent worse" than even the most pessimistic estimate of current populations using computer modelling, said Peter Fretwell, who tracks wildlife from space at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). Researchers know that climate change is driving the losses but the speed of the declines is a particular cause for alarm. The study, published in the journal Nature Communications: Earth & Environment , found that numbers declined 22 percent in the 15 years to 2024 for the colonies monitored. This compares with an earlier estimate of a 9.5-percent reduction across Antarctica as a whole between 2009 and 2018. Warming is thinning and destabilising the ice under the penguins' feet in their breeding grounds. In recent years some colonies have lost all their chicks because the ice has given way beneath them, plunging hatchlings into the sea before they were old enough to cope with the freezing ocean. Fretwell said the new research suggests penguin numbers have been declining since the monitoring began in 2009. That is even before global warming was having a major impact on the sea ice, which forms over open water adjacent to land in the region. But he said the culprit is still likely to be climate change, with warming driving other challenges for the penguins, such as higher rainfall or increasing encroachment from predators. "Emperor penguins are probably the most clear-cut example of where climate change is really showing its effect," Fretwell told AFP. "There's no fishing. There's no habitat destruction. There's no pollution which is causing their populations to decline. "It's just the temperatures in the ice on which they breed and live, and that's really climate change." Some colonies have lost all their chicks in recent years because the ice has given way beneath them. Photo: AFP / Biosphoto Emperor penguins, aka Aptenodytes forsteri, number about a quarter of a million breeding pairs, all in Antarctica, according to a 2020 study. A baby emperor penguin emerges from an egg kept warm in winter by a male, while the female in a breeding pair embarks on a two-month fishing expedition. When she returns to the colony, she feeds the hatchling by regurgitating and then both parents take turns to forage. To survive on their own, chicks must develop waterproof feathers, a process that typically starts in mid-December. The new research uses high-resolution satellite imagery during the months of October and November, before the region is plunged into winter darkness. Fretwell said future research could use other types of satellite monitoring, like radar or thermal imaging, to capture populations in the darker months, as well as expand to the other colonies. "We really do need to look at the rest of the population to see if this worrying result transfers around the continent," he said, adding however that the colonies studied were considered representative. He said there is hope that the penguins may go further south to colder regions in the future but added that it is not clear "how long they're going to last out there". Computer models have projected that the species will be near extinction by the end of the century if humans do not slash their planet-heating emissions. The latest study suggests the picture could be even worse. "We may have to rethink those models now with this new data," said Fretwell. But he stressed there was still time to reduce the threat to the penguins. "We've got this really depressing picture of climate change and falling populations even faster than we thought but it's not too late," he said. "We're probably going to lose a lot of emperor penguins along the way but if people do change, and if we do reduce or turn around our climate emissions, then then we will save the emperor penguin." - AFP
