A huge 26ft long magnapinna squid has been filmed by Shell from one of its submersible vehicles.
Like a creature from an alien planet or the war machines from HG Wells’ War of the Worlds, the bizarrely proportioned cephalopod is like nothing else on Earth. Floating through the inky darkness, the creature looks like it’s walking along on 26ft stilts.
Not a lot is known about these enigmatic animals. The first specimen was encountered off the coast of Brazil in 1988 by the submersible Nautile and there have been only a select few sightings since then during other deep sea expeditions.
Scientists believe that the squid either feed by dragging their massive tentacles along the seafloor or by trapping unsuspecting prey that tries to swim through them.
Source: Deep Sea News
