This is how they managed to capture images of the ‘kraken’ after centuries of searching Explica .co – Explica

The mystery surrounding the elusive giant squid has fed popular folklore stories for centuries such as that of the famous kraken, the colossal sea creature that attacked ships on the high seas. However, the reality is quite different, since these cephalopods such as Architeuthis dux, the largest known species, are very difficult to observe.

Research recently published in the journal Deep Sea Research tries to explain why these giants of the deep sea are so elusive and shows how a team of scientists managed to film the first images of this species in its natural habitat in 2012 in Japan and later in 2019 in the Gulf of Mexico.

The study authors, some of whom were present at the 2019 sighting, argue that these creatures are elusive due, in part, to their huge eyes.

In the depths of the ocean where these squids live, hardly any sunlight penetrates, so this cephalopod developed the biggest eyes of the animal kingdom, the size of a basketball, reports Live Science.

These eyes, apt to roam the darkness of the ocean, also make them more sensitive to lights that marine researchers incorporate into their submersibles and cameras, which is why it is so difficult to find giant squid in their natural habitats.

In order to capture this animal, the researchers who participated in the successful experiments of 2012 and 2019 they turned off the lights on their submersible upon reaching the desired sea depths, which allowed these squid to approach the apparatus.

In addition, the team illuminated his camera with a dim red light instead of the white one that is usually used for expeditions of this type. The use of red light may therefore be a less obtrusive method of illuminating deep-sea species, the authors indicate in the study.

The scientists also decided to use a lure with blue light nicknamed E-Jelly that mimicked the movement and glow of a bioluminescent jellyfish to further attract squid to them.

The researchers conclude that this method of combining low-light equipment with bioluminescent baits has been shown to the most effective to get the giant squid out of hiding and can be filmed.

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This is how they managed to capture images of the 'kraken' after centuries of searching Explica .co - Explica