12-foot squid filmed attacking a deep-sea camera in the Gulf of Mexico

A team of deep sea explorers filming in pitch black conditions off the Gulf Coast captured eerie images this week of a giant squid believed to have been longer than fishing skiff.

The squid is seen for less than 20 seconds in the rare footage, materializing out of the black with “an enormous set of arms and tentacles coming in to attack” the camera’s lure.

It just as quickly retreats, for unknown reasons.

“We knew immediately that it was a squid. It was also big, but because it was coming straight at the camera, it was impossible to tell exactly how big. But big – at least ... 10 to 12 feet long,” according to a report written by Duke University professor Sönke Johnsen and Edie Widder, CEO of the Ocean Research & Conservation Association.

The black and white video was recorded “100 miles southeast of New Orleans,” at a depth of 2,460 feet, according to the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration, which is supporting the expedition.

“Quickly, those who could identify animals of this sort pulled out identification books, slapping them on the chest freezer like a mechanic in a hurry to find the off switch to a runaway engine,” wrote the scientists.

“Latin names for animals shot out left and right, pictures were pointed to, opinions were tossed out. The two of us that knew squid the best were ‘70 percent sure’ it was a juvenile giant squid, but we couldn’t go any further.”

Giant squid have been known as the “monsters” of marine myth, NOAA noted. There are reports of them reaching 60 feet in length, reports MarineBio.org.

“These mysterious eight-armed creatures are rarely seen by humans. Most of what we know about them comes from finding them washed up on beaches,” reports National Geographic.

The video was captured as part of a mission to explore the deepest parts of the Gulf of Mexico “to determine what happens to deep-sea animals when a very important constraint is taken away from them – that of light.” The expedition is supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and staffed by experts from institutions and universities.

This story was originally published June 21, 2019 at 3:35 PM.