Colossal Squid Photographed in the Deap Sea

A colossal squid has been captured on camera for the first time in the depths of the ocean by an international research team.

The sighting was announced on Tuesday by the Schmidt Ocean Institute Foundation.

The squid was captured on camera by a remote-controlled underwater camera at a depth of 600 metres in the South Atlantic. The squid – a juvenile – was about 30 centimetres long. However, adult giant squid found in the stomachs of whales and seabirds can grow up to seven metres long – almost as big as a small fire engine.

The squid were discovered last month near South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands during an expedition. Scientists waited to release the images until they had confirmed the species identification with other independent researchers.

– I really love that we have seen a juvenile giant squid first. This animal is so beautiful,’ said Kat Bolstad, an octopus researcher at Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand, who helped confirm the identification.

The young squid is almost completely transparent and has thin arms. As adults, the octopuses lose their glassy appearance and turn dark red or purple.

When fully grown, they are considered the largest known invertebrate in the world.

^{Cover image: ROV SuBastian/AP/TTThe juvenile giant squid was captured on camera at a depth of 600 metres in the South Atlantic.}