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The creature filmed after an Antarctic iceberg broke away was a glacial glass squid (Galiteuthis glacialis). Researchers recorded it alive at 687 meters (2,254 feet) in the Bellingshausen Sea during January 2025, while exploring seafloor exposed after iceberg A-84 calved from the George VI Ice Shelf. The footage is described as the first confirmed view of this species alive in its natural environment—not the discovery of a new species.
What was captured on camera?
The animal was a glacial glass squid, Galiteuthis glacialis, filmed by the remotely operated vehicle SuBastian during a Schmidt Ocean Institute expedition aboard the research vessel Falkor (too). The Nippon Foundation’s account places the observation at 687 meters (2,254 feet) in the Bellingshausen Sea. The expedition was surveying seafloor exposed after A-84 calved from the George VI Ice Shelf; The Nippon Foundation described the iceberg as Chicago-sized, a comparison rather than a precise measurement. The Nippon Foundation’s May 23, 2025 account calls the video the first confirmed footage of G. glacialis alive in its natural environment.
Why does the footage matter?
A species can be known to science without having been documented alive in its natural habitat. This footage fills that gap for the glacial glass squid: specialists could examine the animal’s appearance and posture in its Antarctic environment rather than rely only on other forms of evidence. It is not evidence that the squid is newly discovered, nor does it show that the iceberg’s calving caused the animal to appear. The reports establish the expedition’s setting, not a cause-and-effect link.
The precise recording day is reported inconsistently. The Nippon Foundation gives January 25, 2025, while The Daily Galaxy’s May 4, 2025 story gives January 20. The available accounts describe the same first confirmed footage, so the supported wording is that it was recorded in January 2025.
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How experts identified the squid
According to Discover Wildlife’s account, deep-sea expert Dr. Thom Linley spotted the animal on the ROV feed, and Dr. Aaron Evans confirmed its identity. The Nippon Foundation says Evans and Dr. Kat Bolstad of Auckland University of Technology were consulted to verify the squid footage.
The imagery shows a transparent animal holding its arms loosely above its head, a posture compared with the “cockatoo pose” seen in other glass squids. Discover Wildlife also notes hooks at the tips of its two elongated tentacles. These observable details helped experts assess the footage; they do not make this squid a colossal squid.
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Glacial glass squid vs. colossal squid
These are separate species, and their footage came from separate expeditions. Similarities such as transparency and hooks do not make them the same animal.
| Feature | Glacial glass squid | Colossal squid |
|---|---|---|
| Species | Galiteuthis glacialis | Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni |
| Hook placement described in the reporting | Tips of its two elongated tentacles | Along the middle of its eight arms |
| Footage discussed here | Filmed alive in the Bellingshausen Sea in January 2025 | Footage came from a separate expedition |
The species distinction and hook descriptions are reported by Discover Wildlife; the expedition context for the glacial glass squid is given by The Nippon Foundation.
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The expedition behind the sighting
The Nippon Foundation describes the voyage as a 35-day Ocean Census flagship expedition involving The Nippon Foundation–Nekton Ocean Census, Schmidt Ocean Institute, and GoSouth. GoSouth is a joint project involving the University of Plymouth, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, and the British Antarctic Survey. The expedition recorded other marine life, including corals, sponges, phantom jellies, icefish, sea spiders, and octopuses. Those observations offer context for the survey, but do not mean the newly exposed seafloor has been comprehensively catalogued.
The Nippon Foundation also reported that SuBastian had captured first confirmed footage in the wild of at least four squid species as of May 23, 2025. That figure is the institute’s count at the time of publication, not an estimate of how many squid live in the region. The available accounts do not establish a population estimate, body length, or abundance figure for G. glacialis.
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