Overview
- Scientists detected genetic traces of the giant squid off the Nyinggulu (Ningaloo) coast using environmental DNA, marking the first such record in Western Australia and the northernmost in the eastern Indian Ocean.
- The WA Museum–led team surveyed the Cape Range and Cloates canyons aboard Schmidt Ocean Institute’s R/V Falkor, collecting more than 1,000 water samples from the surface to about 4,510 meters.
- Architeuthis dux DNA appeared in six separate samples from both canyons, providing rare evidence of a species not seen in the state for more than 25 years.
- The study cataloged 226 species across 11 groups, including first WA records such as the sleeper shark, faceless cusk eel, and slender snaggletooth, as well as deep‑diving whales.
- Researchers paired eDNA with specimens retrieved by the ROV SuBastian and archived at the WA Museum, building local genetic references to support future monitoring and marine park planning.