Marine biologists were able to catch a rare squid on video for the second time in history

Biologists on a research vessel off the coast of the Galapagos Islands recently noticed rare ghost squid Grimalditeuthis bonplandi with weak tentacles without suckers, swimming in the depths. This is only the second time this elusive species has been captured alive.

Representatives of the species G. bonplandi grow up to 25 cm in length. They have a fragile body and swim slowly at a depth of 200-1500 meters. They are thought to be distributed throughout the world, but are usually found dead in the stomachs of sperm whales. This was until 2005, when scientists managed to film it for the first time: it was noticed in the United States and they filmed 22 minutes of video for further study.

In that video, the squid's body remained motionless, only the tip of the tentacle moved. Researchers believe that this is G. bonplandi hunts: imitates the movement of worms or small fish, luring shrimp and other crustaceans, and then grabs them before they have time to recognize the deception. This can be clearly seen in the video fragments:

New footage from 2023 is of higher quality and allows us to better see the squid itself. They were made using a remotely controlled uninhabited underwater vehicle - that is, a robot that is controlled by an operator on the surface.

Personnel: Schmidt Ocean Institute

Scientists note that they still do not know much about this species, but hope that the use of unmanned underwater vehicles will allow them to learn more in the near future.