AUT Squid Squad

Clearly amazing appearance around 888m in #MarDelPlataCanyon: Amphitretus sp. This telescope octopus has adapted to live in a place where there is nowhere to hide but in plain sight. Deep gratitude to @autsquidsquad.bsky.social for species ID. Description on Insta: www.instagram.com/reel/DNittGh...

Graneledone. @schmidtocean.bsky.social dive 812 #MarDelPlataCanyon #MarineLife

Me and @autsquidsquad.bsky.social have been annotating @schmidtocean.bsky.social #Antarctic footage today and it may have driven us a little.... Strange.

#soundon
#Cephalopods #octopus #antarctica

snailfish lino print with the words Protect the deep sea

quick test print 🐡 ...
have to do some corrections

And a teensy glass squid (cranchiid), Liocranchia
#SQXmas2025

#SQXmas2025 continues. On the larger end of the scale, a hefty warty hooked squid, Onykia sp.

We've had a couple of cock-eyed or jeweled squid species (family Histioteuthidae); this is a nice H. macrohista, one of the more extreme examples of tiny mantle (yes, that's the whole thing!) compared to head & arms. See also distinctive long arm-tip photophores. #SQXmas2025

This is a young Moroteuthopsis, a warty hooked squid (family Onychoteuthidae)

This year's Squidmas samples are from sub-Antarctic waters. This is Galiteuthis, a 'glass' squid (Cranchiidae, same family the colossal squid). There are undescribed species in this genus so looking forward to genetic results! #SQXmas2025

Day 1 of #SQXmas2025 started with this inspirational message

Merry Squidmas Eve! Tomorrow we dive into the NIWA/Earth Sciences NZ freezers once again to discover what deep-sea cephs they've wrapped up for us. We've been very good this year so hoping for some exciting specimens! Stay tuned 🦑🐙🎁

Glass squids including colossal are tougher than they look. Some of the transparent pelagic octos are really delicate but the squids are a little more robust.

A century after its discovery, scientists capture first confirmed footage of a colossal squid in the deep The first confirmed footage of a juvenile colossal squid in its natural habitat shows a delicate and graceful animal – far from the “monster” narrative we see all too often.

Young colossal squid footage!

theconversation.com/a-century-af...

YouTube video by Schmidt Ocean Colossal Squid, 1st Live Observation | Searching for New Species in the South Sandwich Islands

#ColossalSquid has been filmed in its natural habitat for the first time!
Filmed in #Antarctica by @schmidtocean.bsky.social, we just had a press conference to share the news. @autsquidsquad.bsky.social provides the voiceover and context for the video. youtu.be/lzPoG9H8Hlo

@pure-ocean.bsky.social

First Confirmed Footage of a Colossal Squid—and it’s a Baby! - Schmidt Ocean Institute One hundred years after its discovery, the colossal squid has been filmed alive in its environment for the first time by a team on board Schmidt Ocean Institute’s R/V Falkor (too) in waters off the So...

Dr Kat Bolstad (@autsquidsquad.bsky.social ) worked with glass squid expert Dr. Aaron Evans to help confirm this observation; she narrated this video. Read the full Schmidt Ocean Institute announcement here: schmidtocean.org/first-coloss...

Even squid love calamari. @schmidtocean.bsky.social dive 805 #SouthSandwichIslands #MarineLife

Idk what it is holding, but great shot of the tentacles! @schmidtocean.bsky.social dive 805 #SouthSandwichIslands #MarineLife

Fantastic images of this squid! @schmidtocean.bsky.social dive 805 #SouthSandwichIslands #MarineLife

Tiny little opisthoteuthis blinking. Thanks @jeffday.bsky.social for the ID! @schmidtocean.bsky.social dive 805 #SouthSandwichIslands #MarineLife

One last moroteuthopsis for the end of the Expedition. Next one starts in July. @schmidtocean.bsky.social dive 805 #SouthSandwichIslands #MarineLife

A huge thanks to #IntrepidTravel for having me and @autsquidsquad.bsky.social aboard to deploy our #ProjectESCA #squid lure in #Antartica.

Likely Mastigoteuthis psychrophila

Cute little octo with leeches. Pareledone maybe. @schmidtocean.bsky.social dive 803 #SouthSandwichIslands #MarineLife

This little octo is having the day of its life!! All you can eat krill buffet for the win. @schmidtocean.bsky.social dive 804 #SouthSandwichIslands #MarineLife

A cyanea in the shallows. The video is from last summer. A lot of the corals seen here are now dead due to bleaching.

Yes it would!

Hooks on the two long tentacles on an Antarctic glass squid make it Galiteuthis or Mesonychoteuthis. If hooks are also present midway along the eight arms, then it's Meso/colossal. But there are some other differences in the tentacles and their hooks that can help distinguish too.

@schmidtocean.bsky.social just filmed a beautiful Antarctic glass squid (cranchiid) with hooks on the tentacles. Only two possibilities and one is the colossal squid, Mesonychoteuthis. Hard to be sure whether arm hooks are present (which would confirm colossal) but the clubs look right!

Black-and-white ink drawing of a colossal squid holding a birthday cake

Happy bday colossal squid! The species was described in 1925 so @deepseapod.com & I did a centenary episode on the @deepseapodcast.bsky.social - www.armatusoceanic.com/podcast/056-... 🦑🎉
Gorgeous artwork thanks to Gareth, a guest on our recent #Antarctic voyage with #IntrepidTravel for #ProjectESCA

Kat Bolstad gives a lecture in the lounge aboard the Ocean Endeavour. A life-sized plush colossal squid joins her on stage.

Some of the fan art we have gotten from guests. Drawings and stories about squid and fish.

Thom Linley gives a lecture in the lounge aboard the Ocean Endeavour.

A nice side effect of joining #IntrepidTravel is the chance for #scicomm - talks on #ProjectESCA & #colossalsquid.
Loving the guest engagement and #fanart! Last night they were on the @deepseapodcast.bsky.social

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