video transcript

THIS EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL For the first time ever, scientists have observed a giant squid in its natural habitat and are learning more about its life in the depths of the ocean. These still images were taken from zoologist Tsunemi Kubodera and his team in July, off the coast of the Ogasawara Islands in Japan. The secret to their success was the use of a special submersible equipped with lights invisible to human and cephalopod eyes. (SOUNDBITE) Tsunemi Kubodera, director of the zoology collection at the National Museum of Nature and Science in Japan, saying (Japanese): "If you try and approach making a load of noise, using a bright white light, then the squid don't come anywhere near you. That was our basic thinking. So we sat there in the pitch black, using a near-infrared light invisible even to the human eye, waiting for the giant squid to approach." Kubodera has had many close encounters with giant squid, capturing one in 2005 and another in 2006, but never like this. (SOUNDBITE) Tsunemi Kubodera, director of the zoology collection at the National Museum of Nature and Science in Japan, saying (Japanese): "I've seen a lot of giant squid specimens in my time, but mainly those hauled out of the ocean. This was the first time for me to see with my own eyes a giant squid swimming in its deep sea habitat. It was stunning, I couldn't have dreamt that it would be so beautiful. It was such a wonderful creature." Japanese broadcaster NHK will air its video footage of the three meter or 10-foot long cephalopod on January 13, followed by a broadcast on the Discovery Channel on January 27.