Throughout history, people have shared myths of colossal sea monsters that prey on sailors and can crush ships with their massive tentacles. Of course, nowadays, we know that all those tales are massively exaggerated, but they still boggle our minds in books, movies, and video games.
While still a mystery, marine zoologists have studied these spectacular mollusks for years, and the things we’ve discovered will boggle your mind.
1. World’s Largest Invertebrates
Exactly how big can these giant squids get? Males can reach up to 43 feet—that’s like a four-story building with tentacles! Females are slightly smaller, at around 33 feet, but still impressive. There are rumors of these squids reaching a staggering 66 feet, but we’ve yet to catch one that huge. As for weight, they’re not lightweight champs, either. They range from 440 to 617 pounds, with some outliers tipping the scales at nearly 700 pounds! Imagine stumbling upon one of these big boys in the deep blue—that’s something you’ll never forget.
2. The Infamous Kraken
Humans have known about giant squid monsters since ancient times. Sailors have told stories about tentacled sea beasts for centuries. The myth of the Scandinavian Kraken, for example, is thought to have originated from sightings of a giant squid. However, new technologies have put an end to the myth and revealed some real facts. Scientists managed to register the behavior of a giant squid in the deep ocean for the first time in 2012. It still looks huge and otherworldly, but it’s definitely not as big as a floating island and not as bloodthirsty.
3. Deep Sea Dwellers
The giant squid used to be shown as a scary sea monster, freaking out sailors and everyone else. But don’t worry, you don’t have to avoid your favorite beach because of it. People don’t know much about its behavior, but most of them were seen quite deep underwater, like 300-1000 meters. You can find giant squid all over the world, but they don’t really hang out in tropical or polar waters.
