NOAA’s 2019 Gulf of Mexico footage shows a giant squid approaching an optical jellyfish-like lure, then retreating. The animal was estimated to be 3 to 3.7 meters (10 to 12 feet) long. NOAA describes the camera’s deployment depths, but does not confirm the squid’s exact depth when it appeared.
Watch NOAA’s giant squid video
NOAA’s giant squid video listing features the animal’s approach to the Medusa camera system and its retreat. The recording came from the fifth deployment during NOAA’s Journey into Midnight: Light and Life Below the Twilight Zone expedition.
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What happens in the footage?
The squid moves toward the Medusa’s e-jelly lure, then turns away. The lure was an optical imitation of a bioluminescent jellyfish, not a real animal or food offered to the squid. NOAA’s account describes the squid as at least 3 to 3.7 meters (10 to 12 feet) long; this is an estimate, not a direct measurement of the animal in the water. The description was published by NOAA on June 20, 2019, by Duke biology professor Sönke Johnsen and Ocean Research & Conservation Association scientist Edie Widder in “Here Be Monsters: We Filmed a Giant Squid in America’s Backyard.”
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How deep was the squid?
The exact depth of the squid at the moment it appeared is not established in the NOAA accounts cited here. NOAA’s June 11 account gives a planned Medusa deployment range of 915 to 1,830 meters (3,000 to 6,000 feet), while a June 16 account describes deployments at 1,830 meters (about 6,000 feet). Those figures refer to the camera’s deployments, not a verified sighting depth for the animal. See NOAA’s accounts, “Searching for Giant Squid in the Gulf of Mexico” and “Seeing the Unseen.”
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Why use a red-light camera and an optical lure?
Deep-sea animals can be sensitive to bright light, so the Medusa was designed to observe them unobtrusively. NOAA’s June 11 mission account describes dim red illumination chosen to be visible to the research system but not to most deep-sea animals, alongside a low-light camera. The e-jelly was meant to resemble a commonly seen bioluminescent jellyfish and draw animals into the camera’s view without relying on bright white lights.
The expedition used buoy-tethered camera deployments planned to last about 24 hours. This approach allowed researchers to leave the system in the water and record animals in their environment rather than pursue them with a vehicle. NOAA’s expedition account quotes Widder describing the goal: “The trick is to be able to observe unobtrusively. That’s what the Medusa is designed to do.”
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When and where was the observation made?
NOAA’s Journey into Midnight expedition ran June 8–22, 2019, in the Gulf of Mexico aboard the research vessel R/V Point Sur. Its goal was to explore the water column in some of the Gulf’s deepest areas and study life below the sunlit zone. The expedition also used a Global Explorer remotely operated vehicle and a Tucker trawl, in addition to the Medusa system.
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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →NOAA credits the giant squid video to Edie Widder and Nathan Robinson. Its feature says the recording was made June 19, during the Medusa’s fifth deployment.
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