We’ve known about the existence of the rare Antarctic gonate squid since 1898. However, it has taken us over 100 years to actually see this squid alive. The creature dwells far beneath the glaciers of the Antarctic, and has been a long-sought-after discovery for over a century. But it took complete chance for scientists to catch sight of this rare creature for the first time.
According to a new report shared by National Geographic, the Antarctic gonate squid first washed up on shore in the late 1800s. However, expeditions to the far southern areas of our world had never netted scientists with a live view of this rare squid. That was until last year, when scientists on board the Schmidt Ocean Institute’s Falkor (too) had to stop short of their original planned study area due to hazardous weather.
The result of that stop was our first look at this rare squid, which drifts through the cold waters of the dark Antarctic waters of the Weddell Sea. The squid was spotted roughly 7,000 feet below the surface, at the edge of an area known as the Powell Basin. The researchers watched as the squid drifted through the water, eventually releasing a cloud of greenish ink.
Despite being known about for over a hundred years, many scientists believe this is the first look we have ever had of this rare squid in the wild and still alive. At roughly three feet long, the Antarctic gonate squid is not quite as large as some of the giant squids we’ve seen in the ocean. However, its elusiveness has made it that much more intriguing of a target for researchers.
Little is known about the exact whereabouts of these rare squids, or how many are even still alive to this day. This discovery is also another reminder of just how vast and mysterious our oceans are. The fact that scientists continue to discover strange creatures at the bottom of the ocean is both exciting and somewhat terrifying.
To put it into perspective, it is often said that we know more about the surface of Mars than we know about our own oceans. And that’s saying a lot, because we still know so little about our neighboring planet, despite years of exploration by NASA’s rovers.
