Overview
- Schmidt Ocean Institute researchers filmed Stygiomedusa gigantea during an early January 2026 ROV descent along the Colorado-Rawson submarine canyon wall off Argentina.
- The species has a bell about 1 meter across and four non‑stinging oral arms that can reach roughly 10 meters, which are used to seize and guide prey.
- The encounter at 253 meters fits within a broad depth range spanning the ocean’s twilight and midnight zones, with reports as deep as about 6,700 meters.
- Records place the species in every ocean except the Arctic, with notable prior footage from the Southern Ocean, including a 2022 sighting near the Antarctic Peninsula.
- Key aspects of its ecology remain uncertain, and ROVs are vital for study because captured specimens degrade, with observations noting sheltering fishes and unconfirmed reports of clinging hunts near subsea structures.