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Subscribe to RSSScientists say they have captured video of a giant squid in its natural habitat deep in the ocean for the first time. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.
The world's first moving images of a giant squid living in its natural habitat have been captured by a team of scientists more than half a mile below the surface of the Pacific Ocean.
The ghostly pictures of the 10-foot-long giant squid were recorded from a state-of–the-art submersible carrying a three-person team of Japanese zoologist Tsunemi Kubodera, a camera operator and the submersible’s pilot, who made around 100 dives during an expedition last summer.
Although small by giant squid standards – the largest ever caught measured 59 feet – it was the first time a live giant squid had been caught on video deep in the ocean.
Kubodera, from Japan's National Museum of Nature and Science, credited the success to the submersible’s silence and hi-tech lighting.
"A giant squid would never appear before a pool of light, that possibility is extremely slim", he told NBC News. "That's why we had to use lights that they wouldn't be able to detect. In fact, they're lights even humans wouldn't be able to see either."
“If you try to approach making a lot of noise, using bright lights, then the squid won't come anywhere near you," he added. “So we sat there in the pitch black, using a near-infrared light invisible even to the human eye, waiting for the giant to approach.''
'It was stunning'
On one dive in July 2012, near the Ogasawara islands, 620 miles south of Tokyo, they finally had their close encounter more than 2,000 feet down and followed the creature even deeper.
“This was the first time for me to see with my own eyes a giant squid swimming,'' Kubodera said. “It was stunning. I couldn't have dreamt that it would be so beautiful. It was such a wonderful creature.”
NHK/NEP/Discovery Channel via Reuters
A giant squid is seen in this video still talken near the Ogasawara Islands in July 2012.
The squid was missing its characteristic two longest tentacles – and scientists don’t know why. Marine biologists said if that pair of tentacles had been intact, the creature would probably have measured up to 23 feet long.
Kubodera’s deep-sea expedition was the culmination of a 10-year project by Japanese broadcaster NHK to capture pictures of the mysterious creature in its habitat. An ultra-sensitive high-definition camera was developed to operate at the ocean depths, using special light that was invisible to the sensitive eyes of the giant squid.
NHK will air its video footage in Japan in a prime-time documentary entitled "Legends of the Deep: Giant Squid" on Jan. 13. It will also be shown on the Discovery Channel on Jan. 27.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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Leave a Comment:
Too bad they didn't show the sub. It was designed and built by US Submarines
too bad the jap sub didn't torpedo it!
"Filmed".......So where is the footage! The Photographs are beautiful but that's all I got.
Anyone know where to see the video?
NHK will air its video footage in Japan on January 13, in a prime time documentary entitled Legends of the Deep: Giant Squid and will be shown on the Discovery Channel on January 27.
Thanks BobW
If this ugly thing lives just a half a mile away, can you imagine what we'd find on other planets! Yikes!
Probably nothing?
It's a lot harder to live on other planets (that we've seen) than it is in the ocean.
They better not kill the poor thing.....just leave it alone!!
They better not kill that poor thing...just leave it alone!!
They better not kill that poor thing..Just leave it alone!!
They better not kill that poor thing..Just leave it alone!!
They better not kill that poor thing..just leave it alone!!
The S.S.R.N. Seaview may be in Danger. Take her down Kowalski!
Captured meaning a picture? ah great...I thought it had become part of a ceremonial Japanese dish for some youngster to finally achieve manhood.
Those animals are better left alone in the realm of their kingdom.
Damnit....Sorry for the duplicate post<s>
Knowing the Japanese they probably killed it immediately after for "Research".
Can something be worse than eating whale and dophin? Yes, now even in California restaurants, Japanese are serving live crab and live lobster. Right on the plate live.
myredsack banned, re-reg of ferrellrooster and others.
Although gross, why exactly is that supposed to be worse that killing whales and dolphins?
And what does that tidbit have to do with giant squid?
Mahi Mahi is in the family of Dolphin, and its quite delicious.
Well, it's dolphinfish there tony, a bit of a difference from the dolphin family :-)
Yeah, I was at that moment where I knew I didn't have the exact term, and decided on "family". lol.
Dolphin-kin? lol
hehehehehehe
Yeah, but you went from fish to mammal. ;-)
Regardless, it's tasty.
Mmm, mammal burgers.
I feel like Robin Williams in his recent Weapons of Self Destruction act. The part where he was discussing weather and people who refused who had "just rebuilt", and he suddenly went "time-out."
I felt that he was having a bit of a brain BSOD from hearing it.
That is what I felt when I read they were going down in a 3-person submersible. That tiny thing and you are looking for GIANT SQUID???
*nix the "who refused", I forgot to delete that bit.
I could swear that yesterday they said it was 9 meters(?)
What a facinating creator from the deep. Imagine what other life forms must exist in our planet and universe. Truly facinating, wish I had a degree in marine biology....
Fire up the barrel of peanut oil and let's get a few gallons of marinara sauce.
I read that the brains of these squids are larger than that of humans...imagine that...
I'll believe it when I see a giant squid build a land-sub to take pictures of us up here :p
knowing asians love of killing anything in the enviorment for their own bizarre beliefs - i'm sure it's only a matter of time till they start slaughtering these creatures because of misguided beliefs that they'll be a medicinal cure or some other nonsense.
In most cases, it has nothing to do with beliefs. They kill things in order to eat. They are very dependent on the seas for food.
You're pointlessly expanding upon the practice of Japanese whaling to vilify everything the Japanese do in the ocean. You DO know that they do actual research on marine life as well as eat it, don't you? Or are you really incapable of viewing them as being anything more than Captain Planet supervillains?
It really looks like one of my dad's old rusty fishing lures.
Why must some humans insist on killing and chopping up living things with eyes and eating them ? So very primitive , when we may obtain all nutrients from plant life not animal life. What if you were on the other side of the frying pan ?
How can you kill those poor innocent plants?
My favorites are clams, and also teppon-style crab. Squid and octopus taste like crap, as probably most animals do. Especially if endangered just leave them alone.
Why must some humans insist on vilifying people for doing the most natural thing in the world? So very foolish, when the human body is clearly made to take nutrients from meat as well as plants and all of nature is just one massive hunting ground full of animals, microbes, and even plants murdering each other for any possible advantage.
As for your question, if I was killed and eaten by something else, then that just means I lost the great Evolution game, didn't I? Luckily us humans are pretty good at it, which is why I'll be eating beef tonight rather than being bear food.
Given the choice of what to study , this is a low priority vs ways to cure global warming , and a high priority over most Nasa project that do not threaten the earth.
Oh, yeah, sure, because we can totally just reassign marine biologists to study environmental meteorology. And I guess we might as well just toss astrophysicists out on the street, huh?
Good thing you're not in charge of humanity's scientific advancement.
Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn