@Ritesh Gupta
The ocean is a realm of enigma and wonder, with mysteries older than human memory and deeper than imagination. While myths and legends have always whispered of monstrous creatures lurking in the abyss, modern science has only recently begun to confirm that some of those whispers were true. Among the most hauntingly fascinating of these real-life leviathans is the colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni)—a creature so elusive, it was once believed to be pure folklore.
This blog takes you into the eerie depths of the Antarctic seas, where the colossal squid roams far from the touch of sunlight, surviving in crushing pressures and freezing darkness. Unlike its cousin, the giant squid, the colossal squid remains largely unseen, unstudied, and unknown. It is not just one of the largest creatures in the ocean—it is one of the most mysterious.
On April 19, 2025, the scientific world was set abuzz when researchers aboard the Schmidt Ocean Institute’s vessel, Falkor (too), captured what might be the first-ever live footage of a juvenile colossal squid in its natural habitat. Found near the South Sandwich Islands at a staggering depth of 2,000 feet, this juvenile—though only a foot long—represents a species that can grow to lengths of over 23 feet and weigh up to 500 kilograms.
This creature isn’t just a biological anomaly. It’s a key to understanding evolutionary secrets, deep-sea ecosystems, and perhaps even the origin of oceanic legends. For centuries, stories of monstrous tentacled beasts dragging ships into the depths were dismissed as sailor superstition. Now, science is suggesting that reality may be stranger than fiction.
So, what do we really know about the colossal squid? How was it discovered? Why does it remain one of the most elusive and misunderstood creatures in the marine world? What does its mysterious life tell us about the ocean and, more importantly, ourselves?
Let’s dive deep into the story of a creature so strange, it could rewrite the very nature of what we consider possible beneath the waves.
Discovery in the Shadows – A Historic First Look at the Colossal Squid.
For nearly a century, the colossal squid has danced on the edge of myth and science. First discovered in 1925, not from the ocean itself but from the stomach of a sperm whale, it has remained an enigma. Every so often, parts of its massive body—a tentacle here, a beak there—washed ashore or turned up in the bellies of deep-diving predators, but never had a live one been observed in its natural setting.
That changed in April 2025, when a multi-disciplinary research team aboard Falkor (too) launched a deep-sea exploration mission in the Southern Ocean. Their mission was part of a broader effort to map the biodiversity of deep waters around the South Sandwich Islands—an uncharted frontier of marine life. Using their advanced submersible, SuBastian, they descended into the hadal zone, one of the least explored parts of our planet.
At around 2,000 feet below the surface, SuBastian’s high-definition cameras captured something unexpected: a translucent, flickering figure—tentacled, with a reddish hue and rotating eyes—drifting silently in the blackness. Initial confusion quickly gave way to euphoria. What they had discovered was not just any cephalopod, but a juvenile colossal squid—the first ever to be filmed alive.
Despite its small size, about a foot long, the juvenile bore all the hallmarks of its species: distinctive swiveling eyes, powerful arms armed with sharp hooks, and a torpedo-shaped body built for survival in extreme conditions. This single observation brought with it a flood of new questions: How do colossal squids reproduce? What do juveniles eat? Where do they grow to adulthood?
Though it may take years to fully analyze the data, one thing is clear—the footage represents a scientific breakthrough that rewrites everything we knew, or thought we knew, about these mysterious monsters.
Anatomy of a Giant – What Makes the Colossal Squid So Terrifying.
The colossal squid isn’t just big—it’s biologically bizarre. With a mantle alone that can measure over 10 feet, eyes the size of basketballs, and tentacles equipped with rotating hooks instead of suction cups, it seems built for a world alien to us.
Unlike the giant squid, which has longer arms but is relatively lighter, the colossal squid is more massive and muscular. Its body is built like a deep-sea tank—dense, heavy, and resilient. Its beak, the largest of any squid species, is capable of slicing through even the toughest prey. Scientists believe that a full-grown specimen could take down large fish or even engage in defensive combat with sperm whales—their only known predator.
Its eyes—among the largest in the animal kingdom—allow it to detect even the faintest traces of light, bioluminescent signals, or movement in the deep sea. Its photophores (light-producing organs) help it communicate, confuse predators, or attract prey in pitch-dark waters.
There’s a reason why legends of sea monsters are so prevalent across cultures—and many of those myths mirror real anatomical features of the colossal squid. Tentacles that can grip and tear, a body too big to be natural, eyes that glow in the dark—if you were a 17th-century sailor and caught a glimpse of this beast, wouldn’t you call it a monster?
As science progresses, each anatomical insight uncovers a deeper evolutionary mystery. Why did this squid evolve in such isolation? How does it feed without being seen? Could it have even larger relatives that remain undiscovered?
The colossal squid remains a biological riddle wrapped in an abyssal enigma—fascinating, frightening, and still so very unknown.
Life in the Depths – The Hidden World of Colossal Squids.
To understand the colossal squid, you must understand its home: the deep sea. Temperatures hover just above freezing. Sunlight never penetrates. Pressures are so intense they could crush most submarines. Yet somehow, life thrives here—and the colossal squid is one of its apex inhabitants.
Unlike most creatures, colossal squids are believed to be solitary hunters, navigating the abyss with precision. Their diet likely includes large fish such as Patagonian toothfish, as well as smaller squid species. Their life cycles, however, are still shrouded in mystery. Scientists aren’t even certain of their exact lifespan, though it’s estimated they live for about 10–15 years.
Mating rituals, birth environments, migratory paths—none of this has been observed directly. Every theory is based on partial remains and educated guesses. The deep sea is not easily accessed, and these creatures dwell far beyond our traditional reach.
However, the footage obtained in 2025 has opened new doors. By analyzing the footage frame-by-frame and studying the surrounding environment, researchers hope to map behavior patterns, predator-prey interactions, and potential breeding grounds.
Could the colossal squid be part of a broader ecosystem yet unknown to science? Are there colonies or nests, or are they truly loners of the deep?
As researchers deploy more deep-sea drones, the veil may begin to lift. But for now, the colossal squid lives in a world so foreign to us, it might as well be on another planet.
Legends, Myths, and the Human Fascination with Sea Monsters.
Why are we so obsessed with sea monsters? From the Kraken of Norse mythology to Lovecraft’s Cthulhu, humans have always feared and revered the creatures of the deep. The colossal squid might be science’s answer to those ancient tales—a real monster in the murky dark.
For centuries, sailors reported strange encounters: ships being dragged, mysterious whirlpools, giant eyes staring from the waves. Most of these were dismissed as hallucinations or exaggerations—until specimens of colossal squids started washing ashore or showing up in whale carcasses.
Even today, popular culture continues to portray giant squids as symbols of the unknown—mysterious, dangerous, otherworldly. But what does this fascination tell us about ourselves?
Psychologists argue that deep-sea creatures tap into our primal fears—of the dark, the unknown, and the uncontrollable. In a world where humans have mapped most of the land, the ocean remains our last frontier, and within it dwell creatures that defy our understanding.
The colossal squid, in many ways, is a living myth. It reminds us that nature still has secrets, that there are places on Earth where our dominance fades and mystery reigns supreme.
So the next time you look out over a vast ocean, remember: just below that serene surface may lurk something massive, ancient, and still unseen.
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