When deep-sea researchers were surveying the Californian seafloor, approximately two miles underwater, an elusive creature emerged from the gloom.
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“I was sitting right next to the screens in the control room when I saw what looked like tentacles coming into the top corner of the video,” says Olívia Soares Pereira, an MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Institute) postdoctoral fellow.
“I thought it might be a cool jelly, but as soon as the little ‘elbows’ appeared, I knew exactly what it was and immediately screamed ‘Magnapinna!’ before the rest of the squid even came into the screen. It was incredibly exciting!”
It has two undulating large fins, eight arms and two tentacles, and was filmed hovering above the seafloor.
The bigfin squid (Magnapinna sp.) is rarely seen, and the sighting marks the first confirmed live observation in the Northeastern Pacific Ocean. Only around 70 bigfin squid have ever been observed or collected.
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The research team used a laser measuring system to estimate the size of the squid. They concluded that the animal was approximately 1.24 metres (4.1 feet) long from the top of its body to the end of its arms.
The sighting took place during a recent survey of Davidson Seamount by scientists from MBARI and the US agency NOAA. Seamounts are underwater mountains (which are often of volcanic origin), with the submerged peaks often in the deep sea.
The Davidson Seamount, located 130 kilometres (80 miles) southwest of Monterey, California, is described as a biodiversity hotspot, with previous expeditions revealing ancient corals and an octopus breeding ground.
Top image: MBARI researchers and collaborators from NOAA’s Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary observe a bigfin squid (Magnapinna). Credit: 2026 MBARI
