by Legends about giant squid have existed for millennia, with photographs confirming their existence nearly 150 years ago. But what is the largest squid in the world?
Depending on how you measure, there are two contenders. That giant squid (Architeuthis dux) is the longest squid and the colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni) is the hardest.
Found in every ocean, the giant squid is estimated to reach a length of around 12 to 14 meters from the top of its body to the top of its tentacles and weigh around 600 pounds (270 kilograms). Heather Judkins (opens in new tab), a cephalopod expert at the University of South Florida in St. Petersburg, told Live Science. It has been claimed to have sighted giant squids up to 20m long, but they have not been verified. according to Two Oceans Aquarium (opens in new tab) in Cape Town, South Africa.
The colossal squid, which lives in Antarctic waters but can venture as far as New Zealand, is estimated to be around 30 to 33 feet (9 to 10 m) in length. However, what it lacks in overall length compared to the giant squid, it makes up for in weight — it can reach about 450 kg, Judkins said. This makes the colossal squid likely the most massive invertebrate on Earth. to Oceana Nonprofit Oceana (opens in new tab).
According to the Museum of New Zealand, giant squid and giant squid have the largest eyes of any living animal, and possibly the largest eyes that have ever existed in the animal kingdom (opens in new tab). They’re about 27 centimeters wide, about the size of a soccer ball, according to a 2012 study in the journal Current Biology (opens in new tab) written down.
Each colossal squid eye is also equipped with a light-emitting organ known as a photophore, the Museum of New Zealand said. Colossal squid use these photophores like headlights to see in the dark. (Giant squid eyes don’t have photophores, Judkins said.)
The colossal squid also has the largest beak of any squid, made of a material similar to that used in human fingernails. The squid uses its beak to cut a meal into bite-sized pieces before it goes into the mouth, and a tooth-covered, tongue-like organ called the radula further breaks up the food once it’s in the beak.
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Both giant squid species eat fish and other squid. After they reach adulthood, the only regular predator they encounter is likely the sperm whale, according to Two Oceans Aquarium. According to the Museum of New Zealand, colossal squid could make up as much as 77% of a sperm whale’s diet.
Because the ocean is so vast and squid live so deep, these sea monsters are rarely seen, the Smithsonian noted (opens in new tab). Although both the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle and the ancient Roman scholar Pliny the Elder gave details of giant squid, according to Two Oceans Aquarium, the first photograph of such a giant squid was not taken until 1874, when Rev. Moses Harvey of Newfoundland captured a picture of a dead giant squid from a fisherman who accidentally caught it, the Smithsonian said.
Most of what scientists know about giant squids comes from remains found floating on the sea surface, on beaches or in the stomachs of sperm whales, a 2013 study in the Journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B (opens in new tab) written down. The same goes for colossal squid, according to the Museum of New Zealand.
Scientists managed to capture a photo of the adult giant squid in its natural habitat only in 2004, and the first video footage of an adult giant squid in the wild was captured only in 2012. explained Britannica (opens in new tab). Similarly, no one had seen an intact colossal squid until 2003, according to the Museum of New Zealand. an international one Expedition to Antarctica in December (opens in new tab) will try for the first time to find and film the colossal octopus in the deep sea.
“The ability to see these animals in their natural habitat is amazing,” Judkins said. “To get the opportunity to capture them with remotely operated floating camera systems is great. It’s an excellent way to observe behaviors.”
