Overview

• The remotely operated vehicle SuBastian filmed a 3-foot-long Gonatus antarcticus at about 7,000 feet in the Weddell Sea on December 25, 2024.
• Researchers identified the squid by a distinctive single central hook on each tentacle club, confirming its wild classification for the first time.
• Fresh sucker marks and scratches on the specimen suggest recent predatory encounters in its natural habitat.
• Its size, nearly double that of previously documented adults if female, is prompting new inquiries into the species’ growth patterns and lifecycle.
• The December expedition also gathered sediment, water and biota samples from depths up to 13,000 feet to expand understanding of Antarctic marine biodiversity.