Latest news with #ManuelNovillo
Time of India
13-06-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Rare blood-red squid captured alive for the first time off Antarctica on camera
Source: National Geographic Researchers have discovered the first-ever live footage of a rare deep-sea squid species in Antarctic waters. The team spotted the blood-red creature 7,060 feet below the ocean's surface on December 25, 2024. Led by scientists and technical experts, this mission-critical moment sparks a significant milestone, announced National Geographic . Although scientists have known about the species for over a century, observing it alive is a rare opportunity. This discovery could shed new light on the species' behavior and ecology. The squid's unique features and deep-sea habitat make it a fascinating subject for further research. Blood-red squid spotted alive by the researchers The squid, nearly 0.9 meters long, was identified by a single large hook on the ends of its two tentacles. These hooks likely enable the creature to grasp and subdue prey during the swift ambush attacks. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Buy Brass Idols - Handmade Brass Statues for Home & Gifting Luxeartisanship Buy Now Undo The rare species was spotted 'blood-red' under the ROV's lights- a remotely operated vehicle. The squid was seen drifting silently through the pitch-dark bathypelagic zone. Scientists were planning to take the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to the Powell Basin, which is an unexplored abyssal plain that plummets to around 9,800 feet deep. However, the launch got postponed because of the sea ice. The researchers then chose a new site at the outer edge of the Powell Basin for the next day, when they witnessed a squid alive for the first time. Researchers quote the discovery as 'mission-critical.' A postdoctoral researcher at Instituto de Diversidad y Ecologia Animal who was aboard the ship, Manuel Novillo, said, as quoted in the report, "It was our mission critical." She added, 'The ice blocks were moving so fast, it would put all the ships in danger, so we had to rearrange everything.' Novillo's team sent the footage to Kat Bolstad, the head of the Lab for Cephalopod Ecology and Systematics at Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand. She confirmed it was an Antarctic gonate squid . "This is, to the best of my knowledge, the first live footage of this animal worldwide.' The team of scientists and technical experts onboard the Schmidt Ocean Institute's ship RV Falkor (too) spotted the blood-red creature. An ecologist at the University of Exeter, Alex Hayward presented his view that the squid's hook adaptations point to its predator role in this deep-sea ecosystem. The footage, analysed and confirmed by Bolstad's team, marks a major step in understanding deep-sea life. The creature's sudden appearance offers a rare look into the lives of animals that live beyond human reach, in a world lit only by bioluminescence. Also read| 160 million-year-old blue-stain fungi in China found to be harmful to trees
NDTV
12-06-2025
- Science
- NDTV
Rare Blood-Red Squid Seen Alive For The First Time Off Antarctica
Researchers have filmed a rare species of deep-sea squid off Antarctica that has been seen alive for the first time, announced National Geographic. The Antarctic gonate squid (Gonatus antarcticus) was captured moving 7,060 feet below the surface in the ocean's midnight zone. The three-foot-long squid was captured on December 25, 2024. The team of scientists and technical experts onboard the Schmidt Ocean Institute's ship RV Falkor (too) spotted the blood-red creature. Manuel Novillo, a postdoctoral researcher at Instituto de Diversidad y Ecologia Animal who was aboard the ship, said, as quoted in the report, "It was our mission critical." They were planning to take the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to the Powell Basin, which is an unexplored abyssal plain that plummets to around 9,800 feet deep. However, they had to postpone the launch because of the sea ice. Novillo said, "The ice blocks were moving so fast, it would put all the ships in danger, so we had to rearrange everything." Hence, the researchers chose a new site at the outer edge of the Powell Basin for the next day when they witnessed a squid that had "never been seen alive". Behold the first ever recording of a deep-sea squid: The Gonatus antarcticus! For more on this story, visit: — USA TODAY Video (@usatodayvideo) June 10, 2025 Gonatus antarcticus, an elusive cephalopod found only in the frigid waters around Antarctica, the report said. Novillo's team sent the footage to Kat Bolstad, who is the head of the Lab for Cephalopod Ecology and Systematics at Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand. She confirmed it was an Antarctic gonate squid. "This is, to the best of my knowledge, the first live footage of this animal worldwide," she says.
The Independent
11-06-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Rare squid captured on camera for first time ever
A rare deep-sea squid, Gonatus antarcticus, was filmed for the first time in its natural habitat. Researchers on an expedition in the Southern Ocean captured the footage on Christmas Day 2024 at a depth of 2,152 metres. It was shared by National Geographic on 10 June. The expedition was rerouted due to poor weather conditions and dangerous sea ice, leading to the sighting, according to scientist Manuel Novillo. Previously, the species was only known from remains found in fishing nets and marine animal stomachs. Watch the full video above.
The Independent
11-06-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Deep sea squid caught on camera for the first time in ‘history-making sighting'
An incredibly rare deep sea squid has been caught on camera for the first time. Researchers on an expedition in the Southern Ocean filmed the elusive three-foot creature on Christmas Day 2024 at a depth of 2152 metres. National Geographic shared footage of the 'history-making sighting' of the Gonatus antarcticus squid in the Weddell Sea on Tuesday (10 June). Manuel Novillo, a scientist onboard the research ship, said that the expedition was not meant to be in the area that day but poor weather conditions and dangerous sea ice caused them to reroute where they then spotted the creature. Prior to the sighting, the existence of the vibrantly-coloured species was only known thanks to its remains being found in fishing nets and the stomachs of marine animals.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Elusive deep-sea squid caught on camera for the first time: Watch
An elusive deep-sea squid species was caught on camera for the first time ever in a major breakthrough. National Geographic, on June 10, revealed the "history-making sighting" of a massive, three-foot long deep-sea squid, which has never before been seen alive, saying the first-ever video footage of the Gonatus antarcticus was captured "on Christmas Day by the Schmidt Ocean Institute's research vessel, the R/V Falkor (too)." Schmidt Ocean Institute, a nonprofit organization, is focused on ocean research, discovery, and knowledge. The "surprise moment" was "caught on camera via the research vessel's remotely operated vehicle (ROV), SuBastian," in the Southern Ocean, National Geographic said in a press release. Manuel Novillo, a postdoctoral researcher at Argentina's Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal, who was aboard the ship, told NatGeo the expedition wasn't even meant to be in the area that day. But adverse weather conditions and treacherous sea ice forced them to choose a new site at the outer edge of the Powell Basin, instead of inside the "unexplored abyssal plain," which has a depth of approximately 9,800 feet. On Christmas morning, as Novillo watched a live video feed of the expedition's remote vehicle, SuBastian, traveling 7,000 feet through the ocean's depth towards the seabed, he spotted a shadow which caught his attention. Novilla asked the pilot to get closer and 'voila, it appeared,' he told NatGeo. 'What are the odds?' Novillo said about the experience. 'We were not supposed to be there and not at that precise moment. Prior to the sighting, the Gonatus antarcticus was only known from carcasses in fishing nets or when the squids' beaks were found in the stomach of fished marine animals, NatGeo said. Watch: Young colossal squid captured on video in its natural habitat for the first time Alex Hayward, senior lecturer at the University of Exeter in England, told National Geographic that deep-sea squids have good eyesight and usually avoid the lights of a research vessel, making it impossible to spot them. 'We want to see them, but they probably don't want to see us most of the time,' she told the publication. The Gonatus antarcticus squid, which has a red and bluish appearance and is characterized by a large single central hook on each tentacle club, is found only in the frigid waters around Antarctica, according to NatGeo. It was spotted at a depth of approximately 2152 meters in the Southern Ocean's Weddell Sea. Researchers, however, have not been able to confirm the squid's sex or age from the footage. Novillo told the publication that the squid released a small cloud of greenish ink as it was spotted, perhaps startled by the vehicle. The squid also had scratches on its arms and fresh-looking sucker marks on its mantle, hinting at some kind of recent predation attempt that it may have managed to escape. During the expedition, the research team also mapped several previously unexplored sites throughout the Southern Ocean and collected various samples of sediment, water, and biota for research purposes, NatGeo said. Part of the expedition was to examine the impact of climate and environmental change in and around the Weddell Sea, "an area prioritized for marine protection and one of the few near-pristine ecosystems on the planet." Earlier, in March, crew members on board a research vessel operated by Schmidt Ocean Institute in the South Atlantic Ocean recorded a video of the world's largest squid species. The nearly one-foot-long juvenile colossal squid was spotted floating at a depth of approximately 1968 feet below the waters around the South Sandwich Islands, a volcanic archipelago located between the tip of South America and Antarctica. Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@ and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Deep-sea squid species caught on camera for the first time: Watch
