The ocean is still one of the most enigmatic frontiers of Earth, and a recent discovery has brought one of its most elusive residents into the limelight. A young colossal squid was recently captured on camera swimming in its natural habitat for the very first time. The incredible images were taken by an international team of oceanographers with a remotely operated submersible off the South Sandwich Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean.
The clip, which was released by the Schmidt Ocean Institute and subsequently posted by National Geographic on X (formerly Twitter), features the juvenile squid swimming through the depths. “The colossal squid, one of nature’s most secretive creatures, and the largest species of squid in the world—was first discovered 100 years ago based on remains discovered in the stomach of a sperm whale.”. Now, one has been captured on film alive in its native oceanic habitat for the first time,” read the caption that accompanied the post.
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The colossal squid—one of nature’s most elusive animals, and the world’s most massive squid species—was first identified 100 years ago using remains found in the stomach of a sperm whale. Now, one has been filmed alive in its natural oceanic environment for the first time. pic.twitter.com/yeqLs6b0Xq
— National Geographic (@NatGeo) April 15, 2025
Although this individual was approximately 30 centimetres (1 foot) in length, it is much smaller than an adult colossal squid, which grows up to 7 meters (23 feet), about the size of a mini fire engine.
The appearance was made at 600 meters (1,968 feet) depth while conducting a deep-sea expedition aimed at discovering new sea creatures. Marine scientists confirmed the identity of the squid independently prior to the release of the footage.
Kat Bolstad, a squid expert at Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand who assisted in verifying the discovery, was thrilled about the find. “This animal is just so beautiful. I am so glad we have caught sight of a juvenile colossal squid first,” she said.
Bolstad is optimistic that the finding will lead to more research and maybe even to documenting an adult colossal squid in the wild due to advances in deep-sea imaging technology.
Juvenile colossal squids have bodies that are almost transparent, a characteristic many young deep-sea animals possess. As they grow, they become reddish-purple, with thick limbs and strong tentacles.
One of their most distinctive features are swivelling hooks on their tentacles, which differentiate them from other squid species. They also have the largest eyes in the animal kingdom.
