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Scientists recorded a juvenile colossal squid alive in its natural habitat for the first time: on March 9, 2025, an underwater robot filmed the roughly 30-centimetre-long animal at 600 metres near the South Sandwich Islands in the South Atlantic. The sighting is remarkable because the species is rarely encountered alive at depth—not because no large squid had ever been filmed before.
What did scientists capture?
ROV SuBastian, operated from Schmidt Ocean Institute’s research vessel R/V Falkor (too), filmed the squid during a 35-day Ocean Census flagship expedition. The animal was a transparent juvenile, estimated at about 30 centimetres long—nearly one foot—not an adult. The expedition was seeking new marine life in the Southern Ocean.
The expedition brought together Schmidt Ocean Institute, the Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census, and GoSouth, a joint project involving the University of Plymouth, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, and the British Antarctic Survey. The Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands was also listed as an expedition partner.
Why is this footage a first?
Schmidt Ocean Institute describes the recording as the first confirmed live observation of a colossal squid in its natural habitat. Before this encounter, people had found colossal squid remains in whale and seabird stomachs and encountered the animals as predators of harvested toothfish. Dying adults had also been filmed by fishermen, but researchers had not seen a live colossal squid at depth in its natural environment.
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The distinction matters: this is not the first footage of a large squid. The giant squid filmed in its habitat in 2012 belongs to a different genus, Architeuthis. The colossal squid is Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni. Smithsonian Ocean’s account of the giant squid describes that separate species, not the 2025 South Sandwich Islands sighting.
How was the squid identified?
Because juvenile colossal squid can resemble glacial glass squid, the team consulted independent squid experts Kat Bolstad and Aaron Evans, who confirmed the identification. Schmidt Ocean Institute points to hooks on the middle of the colossal squid’s eight arms as a distinguishing feature. The animals’ transparent bodies can make them difficult to tell apart at a glance.
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Bolstad, a squid researcher at Auckland University of Technology, said: “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.”
What does the footage show about colossal squid?
It offers a rare view of a living juvenile in the deep ocean, but it does not reveal the species’ full life cycle or establish how large this individual would have grown. Schmidt Ocean Institute says little is known about the colossal squid’s life cycle. The institute estimates adults may reach seven metres and 500 kilograms; those are estimates about the species, not measurements supported by this juvenile encounter.
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In 2025, the sighting also coincided with the 100th anniversary of the species’ identification and formal naming, according to Schmidt Ocean Institute. For much of that century, evidence of colossal squid came largely from remains and fisheries encounters rather than footage of a living animal in its deep-sea habitat.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When and where was the discovery announced?
The encounter took place on March 9, 2025. Ocean Census published an account of the footage on April 15, and the University of Essex published its account the following day, identifying Dr Michelle Taylor as expedition leader. The footage was captured during the expedition; the April announcements brought the confirmed sighting to public attention.
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Schmidt Ocean Institute also quoted expedition chief scientist Michelle Taylor on the value of consulting experts remotely while at sea: “It’s incredible that we can leverage the power of the taxonomic community through R/V Falkor (too) telepresence while we are out at sea.”
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Sources
- Schmidt Ocean Institute: “First Confirmed Footage of a Colossal Squid—and it’s a Baby!”
- Ocean Census: “First Footage of Live Juvenile Colossal Squid”
- University of Essex: “First footage of Colossal Squid captured on expedition”
- Smithsonian Ocean: “How Big is the Giant Squid?”
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