![]() ![]() Again, we don’t know whether this behaviour is for travelling, avoiding predators or another method of searching for prey. On our voyage, we saw the squid in a horizontal version of this pose, just centimetres off the sea floor, with its arms and filaments streaming behind. It might be a way to find prey - akin to dangling sticky, sucker-covered fishing lines. We’re not sure what the specific function of this behaviour is. Previously, Magnapinna has been seen many meters off the sea floor in an upright posture, with arms held wide and filaments draping down. The footage we captured has offered new information about Magnapinna’s ecology, behaviour and anatomy. This might mean they like the habitat where they were found, but we’ll need more sightings to be sure. It’s actually pretty unusual roughly a dozen sightings have been confirmed. Most previous records have been of single Magnapinna, but our five squid were all found clustered close to each other. Like 57K views 1 year ago It’s not every dive that deep-sea explorers encounter a bigfin squid (Magnapinna sp.). Based on the animals’ measurements, we believe we recorded five different individuals: the most Magnapinna ever filmed in one place. In total, we recorded five encounters with Magnapinna in the Great Australian Bight. During this time we managed to use parallel laser pointers to measure the squid’s length - about 1.8 meters - before it swam away into darkness. We yelled and brought the ROV to a halt to get a better look. With large undulating fins, a small torpedo-shaped body and long stringy limbs, it was unmistakably Magnapinna. On one dive, as we watched the video feed from cameras far below us, a wispy shape emerged from the gloom. Using nets, ROVs and other camera equipment, we recorded hundreds of hours of video footage and uncovered thousands of species. On the CSIRO’s research vessel Investigator and charter vessel REM Etive, we surveyed as deep as five kilometres below the water’s surface. That is, until recently, when our team took part in a major research project to better understand the biology and geology of the Great Australian Bight, through the Great Australian Bight Deepwater Marine Program. The squid might be rare, but researchers have been working hard to learn more about the deep-ocean animals. Yet, the big fin squid had never been seen in Australian waters. The handful of sightings have been as far apart as the Central Pacific, North and South Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Indian Ocean. Mysterious critters and where to find themīut despite deep-sea ROV surveys becoming more common, Magnapinna has remained elusive. ![]() In 2001, scientists exploring the seafloor off Oahu, Hawaii, captured footage of a bigfin squid estimated to be between four and six metres long.
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