How was the colossal squid finally filmed alive for the first time?

The answer

On March 9, 2025, scientists aboard the Schmidt Ocean Institute's vessel Falkor (too) filmed a colossal squid alive in its natural habitat for the first time in history - 100 years after the species was first identified. A remotely operated vehicle captured footage of a juvenile measuring just 30 centimeters near the South Sandwich Islands, 600 meters below the surface of the southern Atlantic Ocean. The colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni) can grow up to 7 meters long and weigh 500 kg, making it the heaviest invertebrate on Earth. Previously, dying or dead specimens had occasionally been hauled up by fishermen, but a living animal had never been observed at depth. Remarkably, the sighting was accidental - the team had set out to find new marine species, not the colossal squid.