Scientists working with a remotely operated vehicle off the coast of Davidson Seamount, California, captured footage of a very rare genus of bigfin squid gliding silently over the abyssal seafloor.
At a depth of two miles, the 4.1-foot-long squid floated with its ten exceptionally long appendages trailing behind its transparent body.
Marine biologists from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute have verified that this sighting is the first time that a bigfin squid has been observed alive in the Northeastern Pacific Ocean.
Filming an abyssal wanderer two miles down
A team of scientists onboard a research ship sent a video camera system mounted on an ROV for studying the steep volcanic seamounts off the central coast of California.
A bright light from the ROV penetrated the complete darkness of the water environment at a depth of 10,500 feet.
The camera recorded a transparent animal staying absolutely motionless above the ocean floor sediment.
The large heart-shaped fins moved very slightly around the body of the animal to keep it stationary despite the strong underwater currents.
Measuring about 4.1 feet from the fin to the tentacle tips, the animal possessed all the physical characteristics of the genus of cephalopod Magnapinna.
The recording of the animal became the first confirmation of the presence of bigfin squid in the depths of the Northeastern Pacific Ocean.
Trailing ten elbowed appendages like fishing lines
The squid has ten similar limbs that hang down from its head, then make a sharp bend to run out at a right angle.
Stiff elbow-type joints keep the elongated tentacles and arms away from the body to avoid getting entangled in the surrounding currents.
Long, thin, cable-like appendages trail behind the moving squid like a group of underwater fishing lines.
Scientists believe that these hanging arms and tentacles drag slowly in the water column to catch some microscopic prey or tiny bottom dwellers.
Researchers suspect that the microscopic suckers along the slender appendages may be able to pick up the chemical signature of their prey in pitch darkness.
Mapping the sparse distribution of deep ocean giants
Fewer than 50 live sightings of the genus have been documented by oceanographers since its official scientific discovery.
The genus inhabits the ocean at almost exclusive depths ranging from 5,000 feet to 20,000 feet in the bathypelagic and abyssal regions.
Prior live observations took place in the isolated deep basins of the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Western Pacific Ocean.
The confirmation of the existence of the genus off the coast of California confirms that Magnapinna is distributed in deep waters in the entire Pacific Rim.
It is difficult to conduct biological surveys in the deep water of the abyss because of the pressure of the water and lack of light.
Protecting pristine habitat around Davidson Seamount
The Davidson Seamount is located 7,600 feet above the seafloor in the Pacific Ocean but never reaches the water’s surface.
A nutrient-packed current from the deep ocean pressing against the extinct volcano forms an isolated area of marine diversity.
Its federal designation as part of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary ensures that the seamount will not be subject to destruction through deep-sea mining and bottom trawling activities.
The steepness of the volcanic mountains provides safe ground for old glass sponge ecosystems and hunting areas for abyssal predators.
Discovering a bigfin squid near the seamount proves the immense biological importance of marine reserves.
Recognizing how little is known about abyssal life
The HD video from ROVs has provided marine biologists with never-before-seen anatomical details of a living bigfin squid in its native habitat.
A single sighting is not enough to determine how this solitary predator reproduces, grows, and finds a mate in such an enormous body of water, according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.
Basic physiological information concerning the longevity of the genus, its population density, and metabolic needs remains unknown.
Only five percent of the bottom of the oceans on Earth has been mapped and filmed using video cameras.
While a brief video can give important geographic information points, many basic questions about the life of this animal remain unanswered.
This single sighting provides information that extends the range of Magnapinna, but the real life of a bigfin squid remains a mystery.
All the study details can be found here: Jamieson, A.J., Day, J., Corona, J. et al. Global distribution and depth of the Bigfin squid Magnapinna spp. Mar Biol 173, 172 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-026-04927-1
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