A transparent body, an orange-red head and a tiny set of arms: this baby colossal squid looks like something you could see straight through. In footage filmed on March 9, 2025, it drifts and turns in the darkness, giving the camera a clear look at its unusual shape.
The name “colossal” is doing some future planning here. This juvenile measured about 30 centimeters, or nearly a foot long. Researchers filmed it 600 meters below the surface near the South Sandwich Islands, using ROV SuBastian from the research vessel Falkor (too).
Schmidt Ocean Institute announced the encounter on April 15, 2025, as the first confirmed live observation of a colossal squid, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, at depth in its natural habitat. That distinction matters: fishermen had previously filmed dying adults. This was a chance to see one alive where it lives.
Colossal squid belong to the glass squid family, and juveniles eventually lose that see-through appearance. Experts consulted by the expedition confirmed the animal’s identity; hooks along its arms help distinguish the species from similar-looking glass squid.
There is no chase or dramatic lunge in this clip. The appeal is getting a close look at that translucent body as the little squid slowly changes position. Give it a moment, especially around the head and arms.
Source: Schmidt Ocean Institute’s April 2025 announcement.
