Giant squid detected off Western Australia coast as deep-sea study reveals hidden species

Scientists have detected a rare giant squid in deep waters off Western Australia using advanced DNA analysis, offering new insight into one of the least explored marine ecosystems.

The discovery was made during research into underwater canyons near Nyinggulu (Ningaloo), where scientists collected seawater samples to identify species through environmental DNA.

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The study, published in the journal Environmental DNA, revealed traces of more than 200 marine species.

Researchers from Curtin University and the University of Western Australia surveyed the Cape Range and Cloates canyons, collecting samples at depths of up to 4,510 metres.

“These canyons are incredibly rich ecosystems and, until now, they’ve been largely unexplored because of the difficulty of working at such extreme depths," said lead author Georgia Nester.

The findings included evidence of a giant squid, a species rarely observed in the region for more than 25 years.

"This is the first record of a giant squid detected off Western Australia’s coast using eDNA protocols and the northernmost record of [the species] A. dux in the eastern Indian Ocean,” said Dr Lisa Kirkendale of the Western Australian Museum.

Researchers also identified whales, sharks and other deep-sea species, with some potentially new to science.

“Deep-sea ecosystems are vast, remote and expensive to study, yet they face growing pressure from climate change, fishing and resource extraction. You can’t protect what you don’t know exists,” said Zoe Richards.