Instead of hiring a research ship that costs millions of dollars, scientists set up a research station on an Antarctic cruise ship to hunt for giant squid.
Antarctic giant squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni) is a mysterious cephalopod that can weigh up to 500 kg and be 14 m long with outstretched tentacles. Although fishing boats have found some specimens, researchers still have difficulty observing an individual in the wild.
Researcher Matthew Mulrennan hopes to change that with Kolossal, the nonprofit he founded to film giant squid in their natural habitats. The goal is to learn basic information about this marine creature, such as how it hunts and what it looks like in each life stage.
In 2022 and 2023, Mulrennan assembled a team of scientists with the goal of recording giant squid during trips to Antarctica. He estimates the effort will cost a total of $500,000, which is still much cheaper than renting a research vessel. Renting a research vessel can cost tens of thousands of dollars a day. Some similar expeditions have cost up to $8 million, Mulrennan said.
During four trips, tourists on the Ocean Endeavor cruise ship witnessed a team of researchers take cameras into the cold waters of the Southern Ocean to record marine life. They even built a complete research station on the ship. Ultimately, their underwater cameras captured dozens of species in Antarctica, including a baby giant squid-like animal, Business Insider reported on April 16.
Adult giant squids live at depths of more than 900 meters in the waters around Antarctica, out of reach of the best divers, while submersibles can scare them away. Therefore, researchers still know very little information about them. Many specimens were found in the stomachs of sperm whales, whose diet can consist of up to 77% giant squid. Meanwhile, according to a 2015 study, scientists have only discovered 12 complete giant squid specimens.
Giant squid are also difficult to preserve for long-term study, according to Myrah Graham, a graduate student at Memorial University’s Marine Institute, who accompanied Mulrennan on an expedition. Therefore, many basic things about them are still unknown such as lifespan, reproduction and population size.
The Kolossal team recorded a creature that resembles an adult glass squid or baby giant squid in Paradise Harbor, Antarctica. Image: Business Insider
During 58 days at sea, Kolossal’s cameras recorded more than 80 species of marine life, including giant volcanic sponges, Antarctic dragonfish, Antarctic sunfish and a giant squid-like creature. Experts reviewed images of this creature and said it was impossible to determine whether it was a baby giant squid or an adult glass squid. According to Graham, this shows they are on the right track.
Mulrennan hopes to return to Antarctica next season, meeting his goal of discovering giant squid by 2025.