The discovery actually occurred back in June last year when a research vessel was observing the footage taken by Medusa, a deep-water camera based off the Gulf of Mexico. Scientists expected to see the likes of jellyfish andlantern sharks but they weren't expecting what they saw next.
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In the footage, a tentacle can be seen reaching towards the camera. Then, slowly a wholegiant squid comes into view. The squid was estimated to be around 3 metres long and was hovering around 750 metres below the water's surface.
The research team wanted to double-check their rare finding and reaching out to expert and zoologist Michael Vecchione, who confirmed their suspicions.
This rare footage is the first time a giant squid has been filmed in US waters as the almostmythic creaturesare very rarely seen in their natural habitat. Most of what scientists know about the giant squid is found in washed-up carcasses and squid beaks found in the bellies of whales.
However, this is not the first time the creature has been caught on film overseas. In 2006 Japanese fisherman managed to catch one of thebeasts and bring it to the surface but the giant squid was not filmed in its natural habitat until a Medusa camera was set up in Japan in 2012.
Biologist Edith Widder was on board the boat just 100 miles southeast of New Orleans when she watched the footage. Widder stated:
We found the squid after only five Medusa deployments, despite the fact that thousands of [remote operated vehicles] and submersible dives in the Gulf of Mexico have not done so.
The incredibly rare footage was actually almost lost when the vessel was hit by lightning half an hour later.
Luckily the footage was still intact and you can check it out for yourself in the video above!
