14 DAY TRIAL // An alien-like squid was spotted 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) underneath the waves of the Gulf of Mexico on November 11th, as Shell's remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) caught glimpses of the gigantic squid hovering peacefully above the ocean floor. The creature had long legs, which it dragged over the ocean floor – scientists say that it uses them to ensnare its prey, much like humans scrap bread crumbs off the table with their fingers.
The video Shell provided was obtained and published by National Geographic. The creature exhibits several long appendages, which scientists hypothesize it drags over the ocean floor. At this point, however, they are just speculating on the matter, seeing how this species, the Magnapinna (big fin), which currently holds only 4 sub-species, has never been thoroughly studied, because they are so hard to come by, even with deep-sea trawling techniques.
The creatures live at depths of about a mile, in total darkness, and catching them without infrared vision is virtually impossible. As far as marine biologists know, these animals don't lead a very active life, but, rather, simply hover above the sea floor, crawling on the seabed with their 7 meter-long appendages. Supposedly, the big fin squid doesn't stock its prey, but waits for it to become tangled in its limbs.
It also has some sort of elbows, a highly unusual fact in the world of squids. Biologists think they developed this adaptation to their environment so as to avoid their limbs getting tangled while hunting. All these features make up for an impressive sight, though only a few of them have been ever seen. The classification of these 4 sub-species was done using only infant specimens. Damaged adult carcasses were also recovered over the years, but they were in too rough a shape to be thoroughly analyzed.
Video Courtesy oF National Geographic