In modern Hollywood horror stories, giant squids often act as monsters. They are depicted as some monsters from the sea abyss (Mariana Trench), which are distinguished not only by their enormous size, but also by special bloodthirstiness, cunning and resourcefulness. In Hollywood films, squid can attack an ocean liner and destroy all life on it. Such paintings, of course, should not be taken seriously, but nevertheless the viewer may ask: “And what is the biggest squid in the world?” In this article we will try to answer the question posed.
Architeutis - the largest squid in the world
Architeutis is a genus of huge ocean squid, their length reaches 18 meters. Only tentacles can grow up to 5 meters, and the mantle - up to two. These giants are found in the temperate and subtropical zones of the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans. The largest squid in the world lives in the water column, but sometimes it rises to the surface.
Architeutis has practically no natural enemy, only a sperm whale can dare to attack such a monster. In ancient times there were legends telling that terrible battles were fought between squid and sperm whale, the outcome of which remains unknown until the last moment. However, as research by scientists has shown, architeutis loses to his opponent in 99% of a hundred.
Biggest Squid Caught
The case of catching the largest specimen was officially recorded in 1887. An overgrown squid was discovered on the coast of New Zealand, where he was thrown after a storm. The length of his body along with tentacles was 17.4 meters, unfortunately, the weight of the giant was not established.
If we talk about ocean monsters caught in our time, then we need to mention the inhabitant of the deep sea kingdom caught by fishermen in Antarctica in 2007. The body length of this giant was 9 meters, and weight - 495 kilograms. It turns out that the photo of the largest squid was taken by the sailors of this ship.
This terrible kraken
Ever since ancient times, there were legends among sailors about the attack of sea monsters, emerging from the abyss and drowning ships, entangling them with tentacles. These monsters are nicknamed Kraken. Both Aristotle and Homer wrote about such monsters. However, few believed this, eyewitness accounts were taken for fiction, and the kraken was considered a myth right up to 1673. Then on the coast of Western Ireland, waves threw a squid the size of a horse, his remains were put on public display in Dublin.
Time passed ... In 1861, the Deleton steamboat cruised the Atlantic, and suddenly the largest squid appeared on the horizon, which only sailors had ever seen in their lives. The captain decided to get this trophy. The team managed to harpoon the monster, but three hours of struggle were in vain. Squid went to the bottom, while almost pulling the ship with him. A second attempt to catch the kraken was made 10 years later. The mollusk fell into fishing nets, people fought the monster for more than ten hours before they could pull it ashore. This ten-meter exhibit was exhibited at the London Museum of History.
Kraken Description
The mentioned marine animal has a cylindrical head; its body can change color depending on the mood from dark green to crimson red. There is a rather interesting detail - the largest squid in the world has truly huge eyes. They can reach 25 centimeters in diameter. And this means that squid has the largest eyes in the world. In the center of the animal’s head is a chitin beak with which the mollusk grinds the fish. Squid is able to bite them eight-centimeter steel cable. The tongue of the kraken is covered with small cloves that have different shapes. They allow you to grind and push food into the esophagus.
Monster Victory
Not always a meeting with a giant squid ends in a victory for man. In 2011, an incredible story happened in the Sea of Cortes - the kraken attacked the fishermen. Perhaps this would not have been believed, considering another bike, but ... Tourists resting in the resort of Loreto became witnesses of the incident. According to them, a huge octopus attacked a 12-meter ship and drowned it. First, huge tentacles entangled the ship, along the way they pushed the sailors overboard. And then they began to swing the ship until it turned over. According to zoologists, it was a Humboldt carnivorous mollusk that lives in these waters. He acted not alone, but a flock. Due to the fact that fish in these waters is becoming smaller, squid have to look for alternative ways of food.
Legends and rumors
According to legends, the largest squids in the world are found in the anomalous zone of the Bermuda Triangle . It is believed that the 20-meter giants are just a trifle that lives in the upper layers and does not fall below kilometer depth. But at the very bottom you can meet real monsters, the length of which reaches 50 meters or more. The purpose of such kraken are sperm whales and whales. However, scientists are not yet able to confirm or refute these rumors, it remains only to wait for such a monster to be in the hands of a person.