For the first time in history, actual footage of a living giant squid was captured through the combined effort of the Discovery Channel, Japanese broadcaster NHK, and the National Science Museum of Japan. According to the Discovery Channel they used “ultra-sensitive camera systems with light invisible to squid, bio luminescent lures and secret squid attractants”. The mission took 55 dives in two special submersible vehicles that spent over 280 hours in deep sea. Some dives went as low as 3,000ft. They finally found the squid at 2,066ft and followed down to 2,952 before it disappeared.
This particular squid was 9ft long, and missing it’s two longest tentacles. If they had been intact, it could have measured up to 26ft in total length! “It was shining and so beautiful,” Tsunemi Kubodera an expert on squids for the Japanese National Science Museum who was one of the lucky people to be onboard the submersible when they discovered the squid. “I was so thrilled when I saw it firsthand, but I was confident we would because we rigorously researched the areas we might find it, based on past data.”
In Order lure the creature in, they used a lure that mimics the bioluminescent display of a jellyfish to lure it in. “This squid has an eye that is bigger than your head,” said Widder, who developed the bioluminescent lure. “It is a visual predator. And that is what we were taking advantage of: They’ve been so elusive before because every time we’ve gone to explore they see us with our bright white lights and stay away.”
Footage of the giant squid will not be released until January 27th on the Discovery Channel as part of the show “Monster Squid: The Giant is Real.” The Japanese Public Broacaster NHK will release their version sometime in January.