Rarely seen animals seen in the deep ocean of the Gulf of Mexico
A rarely seen type of giant squid has been caught on camera in deep sea in the Gulf of Mexico.
The U.S. Government's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced the meeting at its Ocean Explorer website.
The great fin squid was only officially described by scientists about 20 years ago, and only about a dozen observations have been confirmed worldwide.
Scientists have seen an elusive large-finned squid in the deep sea. (NOAA)
This was seen at a depth of more than two kilometers, 2835 meters below sea level, off the West Florida Escarpment.
"Something is happening above us," one of the scientists is heard saying at the beginning of the clip.
"Oh god. Look how fat," says another.
The octopus is the deepest-dwelling kind of squid that has yet to be discovered. (NOAA)
Great Finn squid can go deeper than any other known squid, with the current depth record for an observation of 4735 meters.
The largest ever found was 6.4 meters long, and its arms and tentacles make up 6.1 meters of that length.
Its long pendants have elbow-like bends that help create a distinctive look.
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It is believed that the arms and tentacles, which have microscopic suction cups on them, are used to catch prey that bumps into them while hanging down in the water under their body or pulling along the seabed.
Three species of finned squid have been officially described, but there are suspicions that there may be more.