Over 1,000 m ( 3,280 feet ) beneath the near - wintry water of the Antarctic Peninsula , a collection of squid – each one stranger than the last – have been get on camera in arresting detail .
The dazzling footage was captured during an expedition by Minderoo - UWA Deep - Sea Research Centre and Inkfish between December 2024 and January 2025 .
At a depth of 1,000 meters ( 3,280 feet ) , the team ’s remotely operated vehicle ( ROV ) spot a cephalopodan coinage known asMoratoothopsis longimana , a ghostly white-hot squid with long , graceful tentacle . Sharing the clipping onInstagram , they wrote : “ Not much is know about this abstruse - sea species , but its name hints at its unusually long arm . in all probability a midwater hunting watch , it ’s a rarefied observation . ”
Around the same profoundness , they also encountered aSlosarczykovia circumantarctica . This cephalopodan has semitransparent tissue , offering a clear sentiment of its internal organs , including its digestive tract . It ’s also equipped with turgid , lucent oculus , perfect for navigating the pitch - blackdepths of the oceanwhere sunshine never reaches .
Described as the “ adult surprise ” of the trip-up , the team also documentedAlluroteuthis antarcticusat a profoundness of 1,500 meters ( 4,921 feet ) . One strike scarlet - red-faced individual was even seen cling to enamor prey in its tentacle – possibly the mantle of another squid , perhaps even one of its own metal money .
The Antarctic is home base to arange of cephalopods , from the very pocket-sized 15 - centimetre ( ~6 - inch)Brachioteuthisto the very declamatory 4 - meter ( 13 - foot)Mesonychoteuthis – thecolossal squid . The giant Antarcticoctopusalso stalks the frigid waters that surround the continent .
Many of these cephalopod have evolved unique physiologic traits to survive the sub - 0 water of the Southern Ocean . For instance , the jumbo Antarctic octopus hasspecialized blue bloodthat assist to provide oxygen to tissue at sub - zero temperatures . Other maritime species have blood that pump withantifreeze proteinsto assist cope with the super - chilled waters .
While dozens of Southern Ocean squid specie areknown to science , many more are likely to be out there undiscovered , eluding all human contact . Beyond cephalopods , the overall biodiversity of the Southern Ocean is still not fully empathise . Its rough mood and remoteness have long handicap scientific exploration , although recent advances in technology aresteadily expanding our cognition – just like this modish expedition by the Minderoo - UWA Deep - Sea Research Centre .
This squad of Australia - based scientists focuses on exploring the deep and often overlooked water of the Southern Hemisphere , from the icy Southern Ocean to the remote trenches of the Pacific .
Between July and October 2024 , they embarked on a delegation to search the Tonga Trench in the southwesterly Pacific Ocean and managed to film exceedingly rarefootage of a bigfin squidknown for its alien - similar appearing and implausibly recollective tentacles .
