An international team of scientists has proudly announced a groundbreaking discovery made during an expedition aboard the research vessel Falkor from the Schmidt Ocean Institute (USA). Near the South Sandwich Islands, marine biologists captured video footage of a giant squid in its natural habitat at a depth of 600 meters for the first time. And it is, without a doubt, a stunning sight, isn’t it?
The species Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, known as the Antarctic kraken squid or giant squid, belongs to the family of glass squids, Cranchiidae. Individuals of this species can grow up to 10-14 meters long and weigh between 500-700 kilograms, making them the heaviest invertebrates on the planet, as reported by Sci.news. Little is known about their life cycle, but over the years, these squids lose the transparent appearance characteristic of younger individuals.
“These unique images are incredibly moving, and it’s a bit unsettling to think that these creatures have no idea about the existence of humans,” said researcher Kat Bolstad from Auckland University of Technology (New Zealand).
For the past 100 years since the discovery of this species, scientists have mostly encountered giant squids as prey found in the stomachs of whales and seabirds, Ms. Bolstad added. The team struck gold on March 9, 2025, when the remotely operated underwater vehicle SuBastian filmed a 30 cm long baby giant squid. Additionally, on January 25, 2025, this same team, during a previous expedition aboard the Falkor, captured footage of a glacial glass squid (Galiteuthis glacialis) in the Southern Ocean near Antarctica for the first time. This was another species that had never before been seen alive in its natural environment.
The Southern, or Antarctic Ocean, is the fourth largest ocean on our planet, surrounding Antarctica. “One of the most distinctive features of giant squids is the presence of hooks in the middle of their eight limbs, which helps differentiate them from glacial glass squids,” explained independent expert Aaron Evans. Overall, young representatives of these two species are quite similar. They have transparent bodies and sharp hooks at the ends of their two long tentacles, Mr. Evans noted.
“The first discovery of two different squids during two consecutive expeditions is significant; it shows just how little we have seen of the magnificent inhabitants of the Southern Ocean,” stated Dr. Jotika Veermani, executive director of the Schmidt Ocean Institute. “Fortunately, we managed to capture enough high-resolution images of these creatures, allowing world experts who were not on the vessel to identify both species,” Ms. Veermani added.