Researchers are on a mission to study the elusive giant squid in their natural habitats, and they’re using an Antarctic cruise ship as their base of operations. These creatures can grow up to 500 kg and 14 m in length, making them one of the largest cephalopods on earth. Despite some specimens being found by fishing boats, observing them in their natural environment has proven to be challenging for scientists.
To overcome this challenge, Matthew Mulrennan founded the nonprofit organization Kolossal with the goal of filming giant squid in their natural habitats. He assembled a team of scientists who set out on trips to Antarctica in 2022 and 2023 aboard the Ocean Endeavor cruise ship. This expedition is estimated to cost around $500,000, significantly less expensive than renting a research vessel that can cost tens of thousands of dollars per day and up to $8 million for similar expeditions.
During their trips on the cruise ship, tourists observed researchers taking cameras into the Southern Ocean to record marine life. They even created a complete research station on the ship to support their efforts. The team managed to capture footage of various species, including a baby giant squid-like animal in Paradise Harbor, Antarctica. However, studying giant squid remains challenging due to their deep-sea habitats and difficulty in preserving specimens for long-term study.
The Kolossal team recorded over 80 species of marine life during their 58 days at sea, including an adult glass squid or possibly a baby giant squid. Although exact classification remains uncertain, this progress towards discovering giant squid by 2025 is seen as promising by Mulrennan and his team. They plan to return to Antarctica for further expeditions next season to continue their research and exploration.
In conclusion, scientists have decided not to use an expensive research ship but instead set up a research station on an Antarctic cruise ship to study giant squids. These creatures are known as Antarctic giant squids and can grow up to 500 kg and 14 m in length. Despite some specimens being found by fishing boats observing these creatures in their natural habitat has proven challenging for researchers due to their deep-sea habitats and difficulty preserving specimens for long-term study.
Matthew Mulrennan founded Kolossal with the aim of filming these mysterious cephalopods in their natural habitats. The team managed to capture footage of various species during trips on an Antarctic cruise ship despite challenges such as studying them due
