First Northeastern Pacific Sighting of Elusive Deep-Sea Bigfin Squid

During a recent expedition aboard the flagship research vessel David Packard, scientists from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) collaborators captured the first confirmed live observation of a rare deep-sea bigfin squid in the Northeastern Pacific Ocean.

The encounter occurred at a depth of approximately 3,277 meters (10,751 feet) near Davidson Seamount during a survey using MBARI’s remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Doc Ricketts. Utilizing a laser measuring system onboard the ROV, the team estimated the squid measured approximately 1.25 meters (4.1 feet) long from the top of its body to the ends of its arms. The specimen was observed hovering above the abyssal seafloor, undulating two large fins while trailing eight arms and two tentacles.

“Every dive into the deep brings an opportunity to see something new. You never know what you’ll encounter,” said MBARI Postdoctoral Fellow Olívia Soares Pereira. “I was sitting right next to the screens in the control room when I saw what looked like tentacles coming into the top corner of the video. I thought it might be a cool jelly, but as soon as the little ‘elbows’ appeared, I knew exactly who this was and immediately screamed ‘Magnapinna!’ before the rest of the squid even came into the screen. It was incredibly exciting!”

With only about 70 bigfin squid ever observed or collected globally, this marks MBARI’s second encounter with the genus Magnapinna, following a 2001 observation in Hawaii. Located 130 kilometers (80 miles) southwest of Monterey, California, Davidson Seamount sits within the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, making this the first confirmed sighting of the species in that protected area. The underwater mountain deflects ocean currents and concentrates nutrients, creating a biological hotspot that hosts ancient deep-sea coral gardens and an octopus nursery.

“I was focused on the seafloor and all of a sudden an elegant creature with undulating, angel-like ‘wings’ swam into view,” recalled Andrew DeVogelaere, a research ecologist with NOAA’s Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and a longtime MBARI collaborator. “I was stunned—this is the first confirmed bigfin squid sighting in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and a powerful reminder of what we still have to discover in the ocean’s depths. We live next door to a magical place.”

The observation took place during the 10-day Seamount Hotspots expedition, funded through support from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. The project aimed to investigate whether unexplained furrows on the muddy seafloor were created by feeding beaked whales. Earlier this summer, Pereira also observed several bigfin squid during a Schmidt Ocean Institute expedition to the Doldrums Megatransform and Fracture Zone in the Atlantic Ocean.

“After this recent sighting, I texted another MBARI scientist from the Doldrums expedition, ‘How many Magnapinna will I see this year?’ I never thought I’d see enough of them to actually make that joke!” Pereira said. “Each sighting is such a privilege and highlights the incredible diversity of life that thrives in the unknown deep underwater and needs our protection.”