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.
