English: A squid, Walvisteuthis youngorum, is imaged at 900 meters during mid-water transects off Northeast Gardner Pinnacles in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. No species of Walvisteuthis had previously been seen in situ.

Only two identifiable adult specimens of W. youngorum have ever been collected, one in a trawl and one floating dead at the surface, although some juveniles have been caught in plankton nets and small specimens in various stages of digestion have come out of fish stomachs. Scientists were surprised to see the squid at 900 meters, as the only trawl specimen captured to date in Hawaii came from 400 meters, so it was assumed these squid lived at shallower depths.

Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2015 Hohonu Moana.