Video: they record the colossal squid that terrified the sailors of ancient Greece

The team of scientists who in 2019 managed to capture on video a giant squid Architeuthis dux it gave exploit details in a recently published study. In addition, the researchers revealed never-before-seen images of the achievement.

This animal species has inspired many ancient legends, like Kraken, and even during ancient Greece, these sea creatures were thought to be “Huge beasts” which dragged sailors and their ships into the depths of the ocean.

These specimens are the largest invertebrates on the planet and can measure up to 14 meters long, as detailed by Phys.org. However, despite its size, historically it was difficult for researchers to observe it. One of the reasons is that he lives more than 400 meters deep, in spaces where the sunlight does not come on.

To adapt to these gloomy conditions, the giant squid developed the largest eyes in the animal kingdom: each of them reaches a diameter of 30 centimeters.

Due to these complexities, registration of these mollusks was impossible for years, until it came Edith Widder from the Association for Ocean Research and Conservation, which managed to capture images of the specimen with its camera.

In a new study published in the journal Science Direct, the expert and his colleagues finally revealed the secrets behind its success. As they explained, in order to be able to record it, they had to design a camera that the squid couldn’t see.

“Conventional methods for exploring the deep sea, including the use of nets, manned submersibles, and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), are suitable for studying sessile or slow-moving organisms, while baited camera traps tend to attract birds. scavengers rather than predators, ”the scientists detailed in the study.

In this sense, they had to develop a new technology. To achieve his goal, Widder used dim red lights instead of bright white lights conventional than most submarines or underwater cameras. Since most squids cannot see the red light, these cameras would be virtually invisible to any squid nearby.

Another problem was the need to be confidential to attract the squid close enough and film it. Because giant squids often hunt deep-sea prey that create their own light, called bioluminescence, Widder built a decoy called E-Jelly which mimicked the bioluminescent display of a deep sea jellyfish. The allure would suggest having a meal nearby and hopefully bringing the squid close enough to be filmed.

The combination of red lights and E-Jelly bait was keys for the success of the campaign.

In addition to having filmed the giant Architeuthis dux, the team said that with their cameras, they managed to record three other species of squid. Experts believe that one of the images “could be the very little known species Promachoteuthis sloani“; another, “a meeting with Pholidoteuthis adami“; and the last “with an exceptionally large cephalopod, probably a young Architeuthis dux“.

THE NATION