Researchers recently captured the first live footage of a colossal quid in its natural habitat, thousands of feet under the sea near Antarctica.

The world’s largest species of squid has been seen in the wild for the first time ever. The colossal squid, which can grow up to seven metres long, had never been caught on camera before. But that all changed when not-for-profit research group the Schmidt Ocean Institute sent a deep sea camera into the southern Atlantic Ocean last month.

In the darkness of the South Atlantic Ocean, researchers captured for the first time footage of a live colossal squid ( Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni ). And while the elusive creature is known for its size—reaching lengths of 23 feet—this one is a baby and only one foot long.