Researchers discovered the Gonatus antarcticus, a mysterious species of squid. National Geographic

Unprecedented footage of an elusive deep-sea creature came to light this week. On an expedition through the Southern Ocean last Christmas Day, researchers discovered the Gonatus antarcticus, a mysterious species of squid known to roam the freezing waters around Antarctica but never seen alive before in its natural habitat.

The crew of Schmidt Ocean Institute's research vessel, the R/V Falkor (too), encountered the squid by happenstance, according to National Geographic, which led the expedition through its nonprofit, the National Geographic Society, and on Tuesday published photos and video of the historic find. The research vessel's remotely operated vehicle, called SuBastian, captured the footage that's also set to appear in an upcoming National Geographic documentary.

In the first look released this week, a three-foot-long multicolored squid shimmers in pitch-dark, appearing to glow as it floats. Crew members recalled to National Geographic a cloud of green ink ejected from the animal as the machine approached, suggesting it was startled.

The creature was spotted about 7,000 feet below the surface of the Weddell Sea, a remote area near the Antarctic peninsula. Researchers have yet to confirm the squid's sex or age based on the footage.

Before this encounter, evidence of the Antarctic gonate squid had come exclusively in the form of carcasses caught in fishing nets or in the stomachs of its predators, National Geographic said. This particular squid was determined to be "in good shape" outside of some scratches and sucker marks.

The Antarctic gonate is among a group of large and elusive deep-sea squid species native to the Southern Ocean, which have for the most part evaded human contact. Another, the colossal squid, was filmed alive for the first time ever in March, during a different research expedition by the Schmidt Ocean Institute around the South Sandwich Islands.

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