Primo filmato di un calamaro colossale negli abissi, è cucciolo
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00:00.
00:02Although humans have known of the colossal squid Misonicotuthis hamiltoni since 1925,
00:08this is the first confirmed live observation of one in its natural habitat.
00:13Researchers filmed the young colossal squid at nearly 600 meters depth near the South Sandwich Islands.
00:19The young glass squid hovers steadily as its transparent body rotates slowly,
00:24providing excellent views of the slender internal organs and large, highly reflective iridescent eyes.
00:30Pairs of curved hooks are clearly visible on the clubs at the ends of the two long tentacles,
00:36and the clubs are long and slender, with relatively small hooks giving way to small suckers about two-thirds of the way along the club.
00:43Hooks are also present in the middle section of each of the eight arms,
00:46which is the defining feature for Misonicotuthis and is the basis for the genus name,
00:51Miso meaning mid, Onico meaning hook, and Toothis for squid.
00:56Large specimens of colossal squid do not resemble typical glass squids,
01:00but in this footage their similarity to other family members is clear.
01:03The red coloration of the arms and large rust-red chromatophores on the mantle suggest that the animal can switch between transparent and opaque.
01:11Witnessing this first encounter, documented as the Schmidt Ocean Institute's remotely operated vehicle Sebastian descended through the water column,
01:19is truly a thrilling experience.
01:23I'm Dr. Kat Bolstad from the AUT Lab for Cephalopod Ecology and Systematics at Auckland University of Technology.