Giant Squid DNA Found in Deep Canyons off Australia
Using environmental DNA (eDNA) collected from waters more than 4km deep off the coast of Nyinggulu (Ningaloo), Western Australia, researchers identified a total of 226 species from 11 major animal groups, ranging from creatures previously undetectable in the region, such as the giant squid, to others considered new to science.
A giant squid, at least 10 to 12 feet long, approaches the Jellyfish’s electronic lure before realizing the e-jelly is not food and retreats. Image credit: Edie Widder and Nathan Robinson.
“Our results highlight how little is known about Australia’s deep-sea ecosystems,” said Dr Georgia Nester, who carried out the research as part of her PhD. studied at Curtin University and is now at the University of Western Australia.
Dr. Nester and colleagues aboard the Schmidt Ocean Institute The R/V Falkor studied the deep submarine canyons of Cape Range and Cloates, approximately 1,200 km north of Perth, collecting more than 1,000 samples at depths of up to 4,510 m.
Using eDNA, they were able to document which species live in these deep habitats without needing to see or capture them.
Among the most striking discoveries were the tracks of the giant squid (Architecteuthis dux) detected in the Cape Range and Cloates canyons in six separate samples, as well as in deep-diving whales such as the pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps) and Cuvier’s beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris).
“There have only been two other reports of giant squid in Western Australia, but there have been no sightings or specimens in over 25 years,” said Dr Lisa Kirkendale, a researcher at the Western Australian Museum.
“This is the first report of a giant squid detected off the coast of Western Australia using eDNA protocols and the most northerly record of Architecteuthis dux in the eastern Indian Ocean.
Researchers detected a total of 226 species from 11 major animal groups, including rare deep-sea fish, cnidarians, echinoderms, squid, marine mammals and more.
Dozens of species that had never before been recorded in Western Australian waters were detected, including the sleeper shark (Somniosus sp.), faceless cusk (Typhlonus nasus) and the thin snaggletooth (Rhadinesthes decimus).
“Discovering evidence of a giant squid really captures people’s imagination, but it’s only part of a much bigger picture,” Dr Nester said.
“We discovered a large number of species that don’t exactly match anything currently recorded, which doesn’t automatically mean they are new to science, but it strongly suggests that there is a large amount of deep-sea biodiversity that we are just beginning to discover.”
“eDNA had the potential to transform the way scientists explore and protect the deep ocean,” added Dr Zoe Richards, a researcher at Curtin University.
“Deep-sea ecosystems are vast, remote and expensive to study, yet they face increasing pressure from climate change, fishing and resource extraction. »
“eDNA gives us a scalable, non-invasive way to gain basic knowledge about what lives out there, which is essential for informed management and conservation. »
“You can’t protect what you don’t know exists. The large number of discoveries, including megafauna, make it clear that we still have much to learn about marine life in the Indian Ocean.”
Team results appear in the journal Environmental DNA.
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Georgia Mr. Nester and others. 2026. Environmental DNA reveals diverse, deep-stratified biodiversity in submarine canyons of the eastern Indian Ocean. Environmental DNA 8 (2): e70261; doi: 10.1002/edn3.70261
