Was the giant squid a legendary monster?
Northern Europe has the legend of the kraken, a giant monster that drags ships into the sea. It is often depicted as a giant squid or octopus, and the giant squid has long been thought to be its true identity. Though carcasses sometimes washed up on beaches, no one had seen one alive, and for a long time it remained “a mysterious monster of the deep.”
How it was discovered and confirmed
The giant squid was scientifically described in the 19th century, but it had never been seen alive in the deep sea. In 2004, a research team led by Kubodera Tsunemi of the National Science Museum succeeded for the first time in the world in photographing a living giant squid at a depth of about 900 meters off the Ogasawara Islands. In 2012 they also filmed one swimming in the deep sea from a submersible, footage that caused a sensation around the world.
What we know today
The giant squid is one of the largest invertebrates in the world, sometimes exceeding 10 meters in total length including its long tentacles. It has huge eyes more than 25 cm across, thought to help it spot prey and its predator, the sperm whale, in the dark depths. Sperm whales sometimes bear the marks of giant squid suckers on their bodies.
