THE GIANT SQUID MYTH

Written by Zalea Zamin

Do you know?

• For centuries, tales of a massive, tentacled sea monster have captured the imagination of sailors, authors, and the general public. 

• Known variously as the "kraken," "devil fish," or "giant squid," this mythical creature was described as a gargantuan cephalopod capable of dragging ships and their crews to a watery grave.

Despite these vivid descriptions, the giant squid remained elusive to science, leading many to dismiss it as nothing more than a maritime legend. The creature was considered so improbable that it was often used as a benchmark for gullibility, with the "Pacific Northwest tree octopus" being a famous hoax designed to test people's ability to distinguish fact from fiction online.

Historical Discovery: Eversince the Sighting from 1873

In the 19th century, the first concrete evidence of the giant squid's existence began to emerge. In 1873, a giant squid carcass was discovered washed ashore in Newfoundland, Canada, providing the first scientific specimen for researchers to study.

Figure 1 shows a coiled tentacle of the giant squid caught in Logy Bay in 1873.

The specimen was sent to Yale scientist Addison E. Verrill who became renowned as the world’s first and foremost authority on giant squid, based on various Newfoundland giant squids sent to him.

Courtesy of The Rooms, St. John's

Over the following decades, more sightings and specimen discoveries slowly accumulated, but it wasn't until 2004 that the first living giant squid was captured on film. A team of Japanese scientists, led by Tsunemi Kubodera, managed to photograph and film a live giant squid in its natural deep-sea habitat, finally confirming the creature's existence beyond all doubt.

Figure 2 is a photo released by Tsunemi Kubodera, a researcher with Japan's National Science Museum, a giant squid attacking a bait squid is pulled up by his research team off the Ogasawara Islands, south of Tokyo, on December 4, 2006.

Photograph courtesy Tsunemi Kubodera of the National Science Museum of Japan/AP

Timestamp

1873: A fisherman’s son chopped the tentacle off of a giant squid near Bell Island in Conception Bay. First documented evidence that giant squid were a species and not a mythical sea monster.

1873: A group of fishermen caught a giant squid in their net in Logy Bay. It was the first species to be studied by a scientist at Yale University.

1878: A giant squid measuring nearly 17 meters from top to tentacle was discovered thrashing in the shallow tide of Glovers Harbour, now located in a museum called the Giant Squid Interpretation Site.

1933: A six-meter giant squid was captured near Dildo, in Trinity Bay.  It ended up at the South Kensington Museum in London, England.

1981: A nine-meter giant squid was discovered in shallow water in Hare Bay. It is now on display at The Rooms provincial museum in St. John’s.

2004: In Green Bay, Derwin Roberts, a mussel farmer, discovered the last known giant squid.

Facts about the Giant Squid: 

• Scientifically known as Architeuthis dux, largest invertebrate on the planet.

• Adults can grow up to 43 feet (13 meters) in length, with tentacles that can reach over 30 feet (9 meters) long.

• Found in all the world's major oceans, typically at depths of 1,000 feet (300 meters) or more, making them difficult to observe and study.

• Predatory cephalopods, using their powerful tentacles to capture and consume a variety of prey, including fish, other squid, and even small whales. They are thought to be solitary hunters, with females being larger than males.

Advances in deep-sea exploration and imaging technology have allowed scientists to learn more about the giant squid in recent years, but much about their behavior, life cycle, and role in deep-sea ecosystems remains a mystery.

References:

1. Jones, L. (2023, September 23). In Newfoundland, giant squid inspire local legends – and questions about why they keep washing up there. The Globe and Mail. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-newfoundland-giant-squid-legends/

2. Giant Squid | National Geographic. (n.d.). Animals. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/facts/giant-squid