Like most other deep-sea creatures, giant squid live up to their reputation when it comes to their size. They are considered among the rarest life forms on Earth, largely because the chances of finding or observing them are extremely slim. Scientists could only conduct any research when dead specimens washed ashore. So this encounter on Christmas Eve four years ago was an unexpected joy for many who were in the harbor at the time.
On Christmas Eve 2015, astonished onlookers spotted a giant squid approximately 3.7 meters long on a pier in Toyama Bay, Japan. It swam very close to the surface for several hours, and a diver captured it on video close-up.
Toyama Bay, famous for its winter mirages and lantern squid, is located on the northern coast of the Sea of Japan in the Hokuriku region. The giant squid, nicknamed "Hake," is a juvenile specimen with a striking red and white coloration. Akinobu Kimura, a diver and owner of the Kaiyu Diving Center, took an underwater camera with him and spent some time snorkeling.
Kimura stated that "the squid was uninjured and appeared alive, squirting ink and attempting to wrap its tentacles around me." He managed to steer it into the ocean, several hundred meters away, after which it swam out to sea. It is unknown why the squid headed toward the bay, as giant squid rarely enter shallow waters or swim around boats. According to Yuki Ikushi, curator of the Uozu Aquarium in Toyama, there were 16 reported cases of giant squid caught in fishing nets last season, and this is the first such incident this season (November to March).
Giant squid are the second-largest mollusks: females reach 13 meters in length, and males up to 10 meters. In addition to tropical and polar regions, they inhabit all oceans.
Many invertebrates and other deep-sea inhabitants tend to grow larger than their surface-dwelling counterparts. This phenomenon is known as "deep-sea gigantism" or "abyssal gigantism." It is believed to be caused by lower temperatures, increased water pressure, and food shortages.
Based on observations of 130 specimens, the giant squid's mantle has a maximum length of 2.25 meters, while its head and tentacles, excluding the tentacles themselves, typically do not exceed five meters. Its total length in a relaxed state, measured posthumously , is 13 and 10 meters for females and males, respectively. Their two tentacles are the longest known tentacles of any cephalopod.
Although extremely rare, references to giant squids date back to the 4th century BC, when Aristotle described them and distinguished them from smaller squids. Stories about them, passed down by ancient sailors, may have given rise to the legend of the Kraken.
Aristotle called them "« Teutusami"» and said that they were no less than five cubits in length. Another mention of them is contained in the book «"Natural history"» Pliny the Elder, a first-century Roman naturalist and philosopher, described them as 30 feet long and weighing 700 pounds. The 19th-century Danish zoologist and professor Japetus Steenstrup wrote extensively on giant squids and was the first to use the term "« "architeuthus". Also during the 19th century, there were numerous reports of dead specimens washed ashore, washed ashore, or being attacked by these creatures.
Given their size and majesty, it's no surprise that they've inspired numerous myths and legends. In 1546, the Danish King Christian III described a creature found off the east coast of Zealand as a "sea monk"—a monk-like fish that Steenstrup suggested might have been a giant squid. However, recent research has concluded that it was likely an angel shark, a Greek mythical creature. Scylla and the Caribbean sea monster Luska , may have evolved from the giant squid.
Photographs of living giant squid were not taken until 2002, and scientific observations only began in 2004 by a group of zoologists who had to wait two years to do so.
The first photograph was taken at Goshiki Beach in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan, on January 15. The squid's mantle reached two meters in length, and its total body length was four meters. However, the squid died overnight while tied to a dock and is now on display at the National Science Museum of Japan. The second photograph was taken on September 30, 2004, by museum zoologist Tsunemi Kubodera, whale watcher Kyoichi Mori, and their team, who captured 500 images.
Kubodera and Mori used a fishing line baited with squid and shrimp, equipped with a camera. The line was lowered to a depth of 900 meters in a known sperm whale hunting ground, 970 kilometers from Tokyo. After twenty attempts, an eight-meter-long giant squid attacked the line, and the team managed to capture 500 images. However, while trying to eat the bait, the giant squid wrapped its tentacles around the line, and after it attempted to free itself, one of its 5.5-meter-long tentacles remained attached.
Giant squid were previously thought to be drifting creatures, feeding on anything that comes their way. However, recent research suggests they are actually predators, preying on deep-sea fish and other squid species.
According to photographs by Kubodera and his team, as well as video footage taken in November 2006 by American researcher Scott Cassell's expedition using a Humboldt squid equipped with a special camera, the giant squid was exhibiting predatory behavior. The giant squid's tentacles are equipped with serrated suckers that help them catch and hold prey, which they then tear into pieces with their tongues, which are equipped with small, file-like teeth.
In popular culture, giant squid are often depicted as ferocious victors in battles, usually with sperm whales. But in reality, sperm whales, and sometimes pilot whales, are the only known predators of adult giant squid. Juveniles often fall prey to deep-sea sharks and certain fish.
[Sources: CNN, Wikipedia]