Going down in the pitch black waters, around 759 meters in the Gulf of Mexico, we will see undulating arms that are emerging from the gloom and attacks. The video of a first living giant squid is from the U.S waters. A team of researchers funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was studying the light deprivation on deep sea creatures. Their expedition has the goal to see the living creatures in the dark zone, at 1000 meters below the surface.
The Video
The team composed of 23 persons have used the specialized probe to film everything that is happening down there, and after hours and hours of video footage, the mysterious squid was found. The task suffered complications because of the sudden lightning striking the metal research vessel, or the water spout that is forming off the port bow can threaten the scientists work.
However, the system used for the research is from Widder, and it’s called the Medusa. The camera system is using red light, undetectable to deep-sea creatures, which allows the work of the scientists to go without bothering them. Also, they have used a fake jellyfish to mimic some invertebrates’ bioluminescent mechanism, in that way the predators will get a signal.
So the beautiful catch on camera happened just a few days until the two-week expedition ended, and the giant squid took exactly the bait put on the camera by the team. After seeing the first time the video, all 23 members of the crew grown excited, but they have to see again if it’s true or not. Because of the storm, it made everything more difficult to speak with an expert on shore to identify the creature.
Finally, after a messy storm, lightning, and the threat of a tornado, they manage to confirm the footage with the help of Michael Vecchione, who works as a zoologist at the NOAA’s National Systematics Laboratory. The giant squid is estimated to have between 3 to 3.7 meters long. Another important capture of a giant squid was in 2012 on the coast of Japan with the Medusa.
Doris’s passion for writing started to take shape in college where she was editor-in-chief of the college newspaper. Even though she ended up working in IT for more than 7 years, she’s now back to what he always enjoyed doing. With a true passion for technology, Doris mostly covers tech-related topics.