Interesting facts about giant squids (9 photos)

Since ancient times, people have told each other myths about huge monsters from the abyss that hunt sailor travelers. Today, mankind has learned a lot about some unusual inhabitants of the seas and oceans. This article will focus on giant squids.





Ah, the endless salty ocean! How much romance, pristine beauty and chthonic primordial horror you keep within you, chilling even hardened sea wolves to the bones! Oh, how many screams were drowned in your black abysses to the delight of the Ancient Gods? Time after time they send their terrible hound - the Kraken - for new souls in order to saturate their black hearts with mortal souls. But don’t think that the myths about the sea monster are fairy tales. The giant deep-sea squid, also known as Architeuthis, is the real thing.



Its shapeless carcass grows to an insane 10-12 meters. Most of this length is made up of monstrous tentacles, which the monster wields expertly. Hundreds of suckers tightly cling to the victim. Or an opponent.





There is no order in the world of chthonic monsters, for they were born in chaos and will be devoured by them. The sperm whale is an ancient beast and the main opponent of the terrible Kraken. As soon as they see each other, they grab each other's throats, tearing apart the flesh. The sperm whale uses its teeth, the squid uses its tentacles. With them, Architeuthis leaves deep scars on the whale’s body.



People have never recorded a fight between two deep-sea titans. Therefore, we only have to imagine these epic paintings in drawings.

And you will never see this fight. Squids live where chthonic evil spirits are supposed to live - in the dark depths of the oceans, at a depth of 300 to 1000 meters. Perhaps it was the place that turned ordinary squids into monstrous creatures.



There is a pattern in biology according to which some species of animals that live at great depths have larger dimensions than their close relatives from the surface. Thus, the giant squid is almost 89 times larger than an ordinary squid. This is called deep-sea or abyssal gigantism.



Most often, the real giant squid in the photo are washed ashore. It is almost impossible to photograph mollusks at such depths.

It is impossible to say exactly what is causing the increase in body size in deep-sea inhabitants, since there are a whole bunch of reasons. This could be a drop in temperature, a lack of food, pressure, a lack of oxygen, a small number of predators, or all together. It is known that different factors can play a role for different groups of animals.

What does the lord of the depths eat to grow so powerful? Everything he might encounter in his dark kingdom: fish, other squid, and even their own kind. Having captured prey with its powerful tentacles, Architeuthis grinds the flesh of its victims with its powerful beak. It was from these beaks that scientists discovered the giant squid’s craving for cannibalism: the caught specimens had the remains of relatives in their stomachs.



Surprised that there are no sailors and fishermen on the menu list? Well, the real Kraken doesn’t need their souls. Although, maybe the squid is too smart? It has a well-developed and complex nervous system. Maybe he realized that showing his identity to a person is dangerous, so he hides in the deep darkness of the ocean.



The giant squid has the largest eyes in the world - up to 27 cm in diameter. Only the ichthyosaur had more. The squid easily recognizes even the smallest and dimmest light sources. True, he doesn’t see flowers at all. And is this necessary in the dark abyss?



What is really needed there is the ability to stay afloat. And if a swim bladder is enough for the fish, then the giant squid floats on the water due to the ammonium chloride solution, which is contained throughout the animal’s body.

This same solution makes giant squid taste like salty licorice. Thingsbut this one is not for everybody, so the sea monster doesn’t suit the table. Which is probably a great joy for the squid itself. After all, this means that the monster will roam the ocean for many years to come, giving rise to myths, legends and horrors.