Shortly before a couple of divers left the diving center in the city of Toyooka, in the Hyogo region of Japan, they were warned by a fishing equipment seller who said he had seen a giant squid near the surface of the bay. . After having started their trip, the couple corroborated the seller’s story after capture a video and some photographs of a approximately 2.5 meter.
Giant squid
The giant squid is the largest mollusk in the world, belonging to the genus Architeuthis. Its large size has made it the protagonist of different sailor legends, the most famous being the legend of the Kraken; a sea creature from Scandinavian mythology that devoured ships with its deadly arm.
Currently there are ten different species of the Architeuthis recorded, however, the information collected for each one is insufficient and there is no consensus among scientists about the real number of this species.
Until now, the largest giant squid on record It was a female It was found in 1887 on the coast of with a measurement of almost 18 meters. Surprisingly, its measurements do not correspond to a huge weight, since much of its length is due to its long tentacles and the species that have been found so far have weighed between 120 and 350 kilos.
Among the main characteristics of these animals is their eyes, which are enormous, measuring up to 25 centimeters in diameter. For that simple reason, The giant squid is considered the largest animal in the world. Another characteristic of these cephalopods is the peculiar shape of their fish, fins that occupy less than 40% of their mantle, in addition to the fact that their tentacular masses have four rows of suction cups, of which two have larger suction cups.
These squid feed on smaller creatures like and other squid. Despite having eight tentacles, they only use two of them to capture their prey. It is known that sperm whales are one of their predators because giant squid beaks have been found in their stomachs. Likewise, many cetaceans appear with suction cup marks and scars, which indicates that both fight intense battles at the bottom of the sea.
Giant squid off the coast of Japan
Squids of this genus live in all oceans except the arctic and tropical areas, and are very abundant, especially in the waters of Japan. They normally swim in the depths of the seas and do not come close to the surface or the coasts, so seeing them is a true rarity.
Previously, in 2004, researchers from the and the Ogasawara Whale Watchers Association obtained images of a live giant squid for the first time.
Now, this year after the seller told them about the squid, Yosuke Tanaka and his wife Miki took out their boat to reach the creature floating near a rocky shore.
Video: sciencealert/AFP
“We didn’t see the kind of agile movements that many fish and sea creatures usually show, their tentacles and fins were moving very slowly,” said Yosuke Tanaka. The large size of the animal and its enormous eyes were surprising, although the squid seemed weak. “His skin seemed to peel off his body.”
“It was very exciting. “I don’t think there’s anything weirder than this,” Tanaka said the experience would stick with him. “I have heard that not much is known about this creature. I would be glad if this will help us know more,” she concluded.