Scientists capture first-ever footage of elusive deep-sea hooked squid

A team of scientists from The University of Western Australia (UWA) and Kelpie Geosciences in the UK captured rare footage of a deep-sea hooked squid in its natural habitat earlier this month. The footage was recorded on May 8 in the South Pacific, north of the Samoan Passage.

The squid was observed wrapping its arms around a sinking camera, which it had mistaken for prey. Chief scientist Heather Stewart noted the squid’s bioluminescent lights at the ends of two arms, resembling “headlights” used to startle prey. The squid, estimated to be around 75 cm long, was filmed at a depth of just over 1 km, according to UWA.