Release the Kraken! The Giant Squid, Architeuthis dux, is the real-life sea- monster behind the legend, chronicled in ancient sailors’ lore since human beings first started traveling the oceans. Painted and carved images depict giant, multi-tentacled monstrosities, pulling down ships and entire crews with them, battling against giant Sperm Whales. Even in modern times there is the unforgettable memory of Jules Verne’s Nautilus, grabbed and entangled by a gigantic squid, sailors snatched away by tentacles as thick as tree trunks. To top it all, the Giant Squid is the most secretive and mysterious of large ocean predators, dwelling deep in the darkest depths of the ocean, revealing their presence only in sucker-marks left on the hides of Sperm Whales, and carcasses washed ashore. In fact, until as recently as 2004, a Giant Squid had never been observed alive in its natural habitat. But now, finally, in the modern age, reality can be compared to the legend. Even though the habits and nature of Architeuthis still remain largely a mystery, the digital/video age has amassed enough data to provide for the first time a picture of one of the world’s most alien creatures and one of the ocean’s most jealously held mysteries.
HOW BIG DO THEY GET?
The Giant Squid’s size has been widely debated, with lengths of over 60’ in the records and breathless speculation of animals over 100’. The secretive nature of Architeuthis contributes to the mythology, with the implicit possibility of the unknown. However, there is actually a fairly large specimen sample – the remains of over 130 dead individuals washed ashore, as well as tentacles and beaks retrieved from the stomachs of Sperm Whales, show that the maximum total length of Architeuthis is around 13 m (43 ft). Records of 60’ are likely from overstretched tentacles, or simple tall tales. However, even 43’ is misleading, as over half that length is the two longest tentacles, and another half is the other eight, shorter arms. The ‘mantel’ – the main body – does not exceed 2.25 m (7.4 ft). The length of the mantel to the end of the shorter eight arms rarely tops 5 m (16 ft). The maximum weight is estimated at 275 kg (606 lbs) – so in terms of mass, the largest Giant Squid are comparable to a medium to large shark. The largest individuals are adult females.
30 ft, 400 lbs
9.24 m (30.3 ft) total length mantle 1.79 m (5.9 ft
TENTACLE WHIPS
While a 100’ squid can be safely relegated to fantasy, even lengths of 30’ to 40’ are a form of exaggeration. As the photographs on this page demonstrate, measuring tentacle length is like including the tale of a kite. How Architeuthis actually uses these two tentacles is a mystery, although the smaller Humboldt Squid is known to fire them a distance, dragging prey back into the eight grasping arms and waiting beak.
Total length: 36 ft Tentacles 22 ft 330 lbs
MANTEL LENGTH
The bulk of the Giant Squid is its ‘mantel’ – the body and head, which comprises the primary mass of the animal. As the photographs demonstrate, the largest Architeuthis scale not a lot greater than the height of a large man. The Giant Squid is actually fairly typically sized for a large predator in a modern eco-system, roughly the size of a large shark, alligator, or a lion – which also means that, while the true Giant Squid may be a far cry from the Kraken of legend, it is still a large, Mantel 2 m formidable, and potentially lethal creature, particularly (6.6 ft) if it retains the aggressive temperament of its smaller relatives like the Humboldt Squid.
THE FIRST LIVE IMAGES Giant Squid on a fishing line,
Filmed by remote 2004 At the turn of the Millennium, the Giant Squid had still never been filmed alive in its own environment. Despite repeated efforts, Architeuthis remained elusive. In fact, the first film of a living Giant Squid, was actually a larva, brought up in a catch-bag – the size of an eraser, confirmed by DNA to be Architeuthis. It wasn’t until January 2002, off the coast of Japan, that a live adult was finally caught on camera – a respectably-sized individual with a 2 m (6.6 ft) mantel, a 4 m (13 ft) total length (presumably missing the two longest tentacles) – was captured near the surface where it soon died. Two years later, in September of 2004, Japanese scientist Tsunemi Kubodera became the first to film a Giant Squid in its natural habitat by baiting a hook with a camera, and dropping it down with 3000’ of line. A squid attacked the bait, and the camera caught its image as its tentacle was caught by the lure. The camera recorded 500 images over the next four hours as the squid struggled to free itself, eventually pulling free and leaving 18’ of tentacle behind. Architeuthis was finally filmed first-hand, live, in its Remote images of a own environment, in July 2012, on another exhibition Giant Squid lured by led by Kubodera that collected every major Squid bioluminescence researcher in the world - causing no small clash of 2012 scientific egos over whose research would carry the day, and who would finally get to witness it first-hand. Live image 2012
First live images of a Giant Squid in its natural habitat 2012
Live image 2012
GIANT SQUID ON FILM
A Giant Squid pulled to the surface The technique that finally rang the cherries was the on a fishing line. use of bioluminescence. Researcher Edith Widder, had observed how most squid – living in near total darkness – communicated by means of light flashes from their own bodies – a trait shared by many deep- sea creatures. Squid (who are remarkably intelligent) demonstrate quite complex bioluminescent messaging amongst each other – in the case of Humboldt Squid, they are known to coordinate attacks. Similarly, Architeuthis was found to hone in on lights that duplicated the patterns of its typical prey. By baiting a hook and using bioluminescence as a lure, a Giant
Squid was finally lured into camera range of a submersible piloted by Kubodera himself, who filmed a 10’ Giant Squid (missing it’s two long tentacles), for a 23 minutes while it fed on the bait. More images of live Architeuthis have emerged in recent years. In December 2015, a Giant Squid was found swimming in Toyoma Bay Japan, (apparently sluggish from warm surface water) and a local store owner donned a wet suit and dove with it underwater, taking film before guiding it back out to sea.
A diver swims with a sub-adult Giant Squid in Toyoma Bay, Japan
A step closer to the Kraken of legend, is the Colossal This juvenile female Colossal Squid Squid, Mesonychotaithis hamiltoni. It’s size limit is weighed 495 kg (1,091 lb) at unknown, but estimates suggest a mantle 3 m (9.8 ft), 4.2 (14 ft) (with tentacles 10 m (33 ft) total length, and up to 750 kg (1,650 lb) – shrunk posthumously) shorter, but much more massive than the slender Giant Squid. In fact, Colossal Squid could account for some of the exaggerated estimates of Architeuthis – Colossal Squid beaks found in the stomachs of Sperm Whales, scaled to Architeuthis proportions, would exceed 100’, while a Colossal might be less than 30’.
THE REAL KRAKEN?
While the sample number of complete specimens is exactly two – both juveniles – even less of a known quantity than Architeuthis, the Colossal Squid shapes up as a much nastier piece of work. Its beak doubles the size of Architeuthis. Its tentacles are lined with vicious hooks (a trait mistakenly attributed to Architeuthis in JAWS-author Peter Benchely’s novel, BEAST). Incidents at sea where large squid have latched onto boats might likely be Colossals – particularly given the animal’s inferred temperament; as form fits function, the Colossal could be analogous to the aggressive, pugnacious Humboldt Squid – a Colossal Squid frightening thought when scaled to Mesonychotaithis proportions. If the over-fishing that enabled the Humboldt invasion also affects Mesonychotaithis, it could usher in a very formidable, and very real sea- Giant Squid monster, fully living up to the name, ‘Kraken’.
Colossal Squid Giant Squid
Colossal Squid
Giant Squid
Colossal Squid
Giant Squid
The Sperm Whale or ‘Catodon’ (Physeter macrocephalus) is the largest of the toothed whales. Mature males can reach 20.5 meters (67 ft). The Sperm Whale feeds primarily on Giant and Colossal Squid. Diving up to 3 kilometers (9,800 ft) to hunt. Its clicking vocalization, a form of echolocation and communication, can be as loud as 230 decibels underwater, and the whale uses this as a ‘sonar hammer’ to stun the squid. While illustrations often depict titanic battles between Catodons and Giant Squid, it is actually a very one-sided match-up, with the whale simply snapping the squid up like smelt Actual images of Sperm Whale feeding on a Many Sperm Whales have scars on their backs, Colossal Squid. caused by the suckers of Giant Squid and the claws of Colossal Squid.
Museum diorama
3D computer simulation
The Humboldt Squid (Dosidicus gigas), ‘Red Devil;’ is a smaller cousin of Architeuthis, and its population is currently exploding. Squid reproductive strategy is based upon high numbers of offspring that, like crocodiles and turtles, have a high mortality rate as infants. But when its predators are thinned out from over-fishing, the population booms. Humboldt Squid are quite formidable at up to 6’ long, and are voracious and dangerous predators, known to attack in packs, tearing victims - often hapless squid fisherman who fall in among them - to pieces.
Octopus are another branch of diverse tentacled mollusks, some of which, like the Giant Pacific Octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) can grow as large as 13 feet in circumference (tentacles spread). The species’ maximum weight has been much debated, with numerous reports of specimens exceeding 100 kg (220 lb) or more. Octopus are distinct from squid in having only eight tentacles, surrounding a round, pouch-like body, as opposed to the arrow-shaped mantel of the squid. Octopus are also much less aggressive than squid, and considered less dangerous. Like squid, octopus show surprising intelligence and they have demonstrated genuine problem-solving abilities not normally associated with invertebrates. They recognize orientation of symbols and have shown remarkable ability to escape cages and enclosures.
BLUE-RINGED OCTOPUS
All species of octopus secrete venom from their beaks, although most only produce localized effects and are not considered dangerous to humans. In Australia, however (as if they didn’t already have enough deadly critters), there is the Blue Ringed Octopus Hapalochlaena lunulata, which delivers one of the potent neurotoxins known. Venom secreted in a single bite is sufficient to kill 10 grown men, and it has been implicated in at least 11 human fatalities.
Blue Ringed Octopus
Orthocones are a branch of Cephalopod mollusks that existed during the Late Ordovician and early Silurian, 470-440 million years ago, when life on Earth was almost entirely restricted to the oceans and ecological diversity was only beginning to produce large-bodied animals. The term ‘Orthocone’ refers to the long straight shell – similar to the curved, snail-like shell of the Nautilus – that housed the mantel (body), giving the creature the appearance of a long, cone- shaped, armored squid-like body. Cameroceras (varying species) which flourished primarily during the Late Ordovician, is widely regarded as one of if not the largest orthocone cephalopods to ever exist. Because shells are the only evidence preserved by fossilization, there are only estimates for the upper size of the animal, but the partial shell of one giant Cameroceras suggests a total length of over 9 m (30 ft), depending upon the length of its tentacles. But by any measure, Cameroceras is easily among the largest known Paleozoic mollusks, as well as comparable to the largest species known today. During its time, it might have also been the largest animal of any kind living on the Earth.