What is the biggest species of squid?
Ommastrephinae
Ommastrephinae includes the largest species of squids belonging to the family Ommastrephidae, Humboldt squid ("Dosidicus gigas") which can grow to in mantle length (ML). It also contains the smallest squid species belonging to the family, the glass squid ("Hyaloteuthis pelagica") which has a mantle length of only up to . Ommastrephinae are mostly pelagic members of the family Ommastrephidae. All species of this subfamily contain photophores whose locations vary by species. Some species of the subfamily (notably "Sthenoteuthis" and "Ommastrephes") are known for their behavior of leaping out of the water (hence the common names 'flying squid').
List of largest reptiles
The largest living reptile, a representative of the order Crocodilia, is the saltwater crocodile ("Crocodylus porosus") of Southern Asia and Australia, with adult males being typically long. The largest confirmed saltwater crocodile on record was long, and weighed about . Unconfirmed reports of much larger crocodiles exist, but examinations of incomplete remains have never suggested a length greater than . A living specimen estimated at and has been accepted by the Guinness Book of World Records, but due to the difficulty of trapping and measuring a very large living crocodile, the accuracy of these dimensions has yet to be verified. A specimen caught alive in the Philippines in 2011 (now dead) was found to have measured in length.
Onykia robusta
Onykia robusta, also known as the robust clubhook squid and often cited by the older name Moroteuthis robusta, is a species of squid in the family Onychoteuthidae. Reaching a mantle length of , it is the largest member of its family and one of the largest of all cephalopods. The tentacular clubs are slender, containing 15–18 club hooks. Arms of the species contain 50–60 suckers, and grow to 90–100% of the mantle length. It is found primarily in the boreal to temperate North Pacific.
Wildlife of Antarctica
Many aquatic molluscs are present in Antarctica. Bivalves such as "Adamussium colbecki" move around on the seafloor, while others such as "Laternula elliptica" live in burrows filtering the water above. There are around 70 cephalopod species in the Southern Ocean, the largest of which is the colossal squid ("Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni"), which at up to is among the largest invertebrate in the world and a true Polar giant. Squid makes up most of the diet of some animals, such as grey-headed albatrosses and sperm whales, and the warty squid ("Moroteuthis ingens") is one of the subantarctic's most preyed upon species by vertebrates.
Megalocranchia fisheri
Megalocranchia fisheri is a species of glass squid. Its natural range covers at least the waters off Hawaii. The species may attain a mantle length of and a total length of over , making it one of the largest species of squid, together with the colossal squid ("Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni"), giant squid ("Architeuthis" sp.), and robust clubhook squid ("Onykia robusta"). It inhabits surface and mid-depth waters of open ocean. Juveniles live near the surface, while adults occupy mesopelagic depths during the day and migrate to near-surface waters at night. "M. fisheri" possesses two large light organs in the gill cavity. Females additionally have light organs on the ends of their third arm pair. As the animal matures, its fins become spear-like in appearance.
Cephalopod size
Other tiny species include members of the bobtail squid family Sepiolidae; the myopsid squid genera "Australiteuthis" and "Pickfordiateuthis"; the oegopsid squid genera "Abralia" and "Abraliopsis"; the pygmy cuttlefish "Sepia pulchra"; and the ram's horn squid, "Spirula spirula".
Cephalopod size
"Kondakovia longimana", sometimes known as the giant warty squid, is a little known species with a circum-Antarctic distribution in the Southern Ocean. The largest complete specimen, found floating at the surface off the South Orkney Islands, had a mantle length of (Lynnes & Rodhouse, 2002:1087; see also Carrington, 2000), but a damaged female specimen with an estimated mantle length of around is known (Bolstad, 2008:171).
Largest organisms
The largest species of echinoderm in terms of bulk is probably the starfish species "Thromidia gigas", of the class Asteroidea, which reaches a weight of over , but it might be beaten by some giant sea cucumbers such as "Thelenota anax". However, at a maximum span of , "Thromidia gigas" is quite a bit shorter than some other echinoderms. The longest echinoderm known is the conspicuous sea cucumber "Synapta maculata", with a slender body that can extend up to . In comparison, the biggest sea star is the brisingid sea star "Midgardia xandaros", reaching a span of , despite being quite slender. "Evasterias echinosoma" is another giant echinoderm and can measure up to across and weigh .
The largest nemertean is the bootlace worm, "Lineus longissimus". A specimen found washed ashore on a beach in St. Andrews, Scotland in 1864 was recorded at a length of .
Squid giant synapse
The squid giant synapse is a chemical synapse found in squid. It is the largest chemical junction in nature.
Cephalopod size
Cephalopods vastly larger than either giant or colossal squids have been postulated at various times. Perhaps the most notable of these is the so-called St. Augustine Monster, a large carcass weighing several tonnes that washed ashore on the United States coast near St. Augustine, Florida, in 1896. Zoologist Addison Emery Verrill of Yale, at the time the country's foremost authority on cephalopods, was initially convinced that it represented a previously unknown species of gigantic octopus, and even proposed for it the scientific name "Octopus giganteus" (Verrill, 1897b, c). However, having received tissue samples he quickly retracted his original opinion, identifying it instead as the remains of a whale (Verrill, 1897g, h, i). Nevertheless, the possible existence of such a gargantuan octopus was taken seriously well into the 20th century (Johnson, 1989:9; Milne, 1995:171), until reanalyses in 1995 and 2004 of the original tissue samples—together with those of other similar carcasses—showed conclusively that they were all masses of the collagenous matrix of whale blubber (Pierce "et al.", 1995; 2004).
Cephalopod size
The heaviest known cephalopod, and the largest living invertebrate, is the colossal squid. The largest recorded specimen of this species, caught in the Ross Sea in 2007, weighed . However, its beak is not the largest known from this species; even bigger colossal squid beaks have been recovered from the stomachs of sperm whales, indicating that this species can grow larger still.
Colossal squid
On February 22, 2007, authorities in New Zealand announced the largest known colossal squid had been captured. The specimen weighed and was initially estimated to measure in total length. Fishermen on the vessel "San Aspiring", owned by the Sanford Seafood Company, caught the animal in the freezing Antarctic waters of the Ross Sea. It was brought to the surface as it fed on an Antarctic toothfish that had been caught off a long line. It would not let go of its prey and could not be removed from the line by the fishermen, so they decided to catch it instead. They managed to envelop it in a net, haul it aboard, and freeze it. The specimen eclipsed the previous largest find in 2003 by about , although it is still considerably smaller than some estimates for this species have predicted. The specimen was frozen in a cubic metre of water and transported to the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, New Zealand's national museum. Media reports suggested scientists at the museum were considering using a giant microwave to defrost the squid because thawing it at room temperature would take several days and it would likely begin to decompose on the outside while the core remained frozen. However, they later opted for the more conventional approach of thawing the specimen in a bath of salt water. After thawing, the squid measured only in total length, with the tentacles having shrunk significantly. Although initially thought to be a male, closer inspection of the specimen showed it to be a female.
List of giant squid specimens and sightings
According to Guerra "et al." (2006), 592 confirmed giant squid specimens were known as of the end of 2004. Of these, 306 came from the Atlantic Ocean, 264 from the Pacific Ocean, 20 from the Indian Ocean, and 2 from the Mediterranean Sea. The figures for specimens collected in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans further broke down as follows: 126 in the northwestern Atlantic, 148 in the northeastern Atlantic, 6 in the southwestern Atlantic, 26 in the southeastern Atlantic, 28 in the northwestern Pacific, 43 in the northeastern Pacific, 183 in the southwestern Pacific, and 10 in the southeastern Pacific (Guerra "et al.", 2006).
Mollusca
Molluscs have more varied forms than any other animal phylum. They include snails, slugs and other gastropods; clams and other bivalves; squids and other cephalopods; and other lesser-known but similarly distinctive subgroups. The majority of species still live in the oceans, from the seashores to the abyssal zone, but some form a significant part of the freshwater fauna and the terrestrial ecosystems. Molluscs are extremely diverse in tropical and temperate regions, but can be found at all latitudes. About 80% of all known mollusc species are gastropods. Cephalopoda such as squid, cuttlefish, and octopuses are among the neurologically most advanced of all invertebrates. The giant squid, which until recently had not been observed alive in its adult form, is one of the largest invertebrates, but a recently caught specimen of the colossal squid, long and weighing , may have overtaken it.
Squamata
Squamata is the largest order of reptiles, comprising lizards, snakes and amphisbaenians (worm lizards), which are collectively known as squamates or scaled reptiles. With over 10,000 species, it is also the second-largest order of extant (living) vertebrates, after the perciform fish, and roughly equal in number to the Saurischia (one of the two major groups of dinosaurs). Members of the order are distinguished by their skins, which bear horny scales or shields. They also possess movable quadrate bones, making it possible to move the upper jaw relative to the neurocranium. This is particularly visible in snakes, which are able to open their mouths very wide to accommodate comparatively large prey. Squamata is the most variably sized order of reptiles, ranging from the dwarf gecko ("Sphaerodactylus ariasae") to the green anaconda ("Eunectes murinus") and the now-extinct mosasaurs, which reached lengths of over .
Murray cod
The Murray cod ("Maccullochella peelii") is a large Australian predatory freshwater fish of the genus "Maccullochella" in the family Percichthyidae. Although the species is called a cod in the vernacular, it is not related to the Northern Hemisphere marine cod ("Gadus") species. The Murray cod is an important part of Australia's vertebrate wildlife—as an apex predator in the Murray-Darling River system—and also significant in Australia's human culture. The Murray cod is the largest exclusively freshwater fish in Australia, and one of the largest in the world. Other common names for Murray cod include cod, greenfish, goodoo, Mary River cod, Murray perch, ponde, pondi and Queensland freshwater cod.
Cephalopod size
The longest scientifically documented specimens belong to the giant squid, with a maximum total length of (Roper & Shea, 2013:114). Despite its proportionally shorter tentacles, the colossal squid may rival the giant squid in total length, but the species's size limits are uncertain because only a handful of mature specimens have been recorded.
List of giant squid specimens and sightings
This list of giant squid specimens and sightings is a comprehensive timeline of recorded human encounters with members of the genus "Architeuthis", popularly known as giant squid. It includes animals that were caught by fishermen, found washed ashore, recovered (in whole or in part) from sperm whales and other predatory species, as well as those reliably sighted at sea. The list also covers specimens incorrectly assigned to the genus "Architeuthis" in original descriptions or later publications.
Cephalopod size
For total length, Paxton (2016a:83) considered three records as candidates for the "longest measured": the specimen of Berzin (1972:199), the specimen described by Kirk (1888) as "Architeuthis longimanus"—a strangely proportioned animal that has been much commented on—and the "Thimble Tickle specimen" reported by Verrill (1880a:191), which is often cited as the largest giant squid ever recorded. Of the last one, Paxton wrote: "Sometimes mistakenly cited as 17.37 m (57 ft) but the source is clear that it is 55 ft long." The first two records, particularly that of Berzin, are more questionable, as Paxton explained:
Colossal squid
The largest recorded specimen was captured in 2007 by a New Zealand fishing boat off Antarctica. It was initially estimated to measure in length and weigh . The squid was taken back to New Zealand for scientific study. A study on the specimen later showed its actual weight was , but it only measured in total length as a result of the tentacles' shrinking "post mortem".
Bigfin reef squid
Bigfin reef squids are characterised by a large oval fin that extends throughout the margins of its mantle, giving them a superficial similarity to cuttlefish. They are small to medium-sized squids, averaging in length. They exhibit elaborate mating displays and usually spawn in May, but it can vary by location. The paralarvae resemble miniature adults and are remarkable for already having the capability to change body colouration upon hatching. Bigfin reef squids have the fastest recorded growth rates of any large marine invertebrate, reaching in only four months. They are a short-lived species, with a maximum recorded lifespan of 315 days.
Whip-lash squid
Mastigoteuthids range in size from quite small species in the genus "Mastigoteuthis", to relatively gigantic sizes in the genus "Idioteuthis". However most are rather small, from 3–15 centimetres total mantle length. Their most distinctive features are their extremely elongate tentacles—which retract into membranous lateral sheaths of the fourth (and largest) arms—and their very large ovate fins, which may occupy up to 80% of the mantle length in some species. It is from these 'whip-like' tentacles that their common name derives. Unlike most other squid, the club of the mastigoteuthid tentacle is not significantly (usually not at all) broader than the rest of the tentacle and is covered in very small suckers—in some species, invisible to the naked eye—which impart an extremely sticky property to the clubs, themselves answering for 70% or more of the tentacle's length in some species.
Ornithoteuthis
Ornithoteuthis is a small genus of squid, with two species, from the family Ommastrephidae, the "flying squids", the two species in this genus are known as "bird squids". They are relatively small squid, with mantle lengths of around 100–200 mm, highly agile and rather uncommon. Their characteristics that distinguish then from other members of the subfamily Ommastrephinae are that their mantle and fins are drawn out into a narrow tail and that they have a luminous stripe along their midline on the viscera. One species, "Ornithoteuthis antillarum", is found in the warmer waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the other, "Ornithoteuthis volatilis", in similar areas of the Indo-Pacific oceans, they are closely related and are thought to have been a result of relatively recent speciation.
Largest organisms
The giant squid ("Architeuthis dux") was previously thought to be the largest squid, and while it is less massive and has a smaller mantle than the colossal squid, it may exceed the colossal squid in overall length including tentacles. One giant squid specimen that washed ashore in 1878 in Newfoundland reportedly measured in total length (from the tip of the mantle to the end of the long tentacles), head and body length , in diameter at the thickest part of mantle, and weighed about . This specimen is still often cited as the largest invertebrate that has ever been examined. However, no animals approaching this size have been scientifically documented and, according to giant squid expert Steve O'Shea, such lengths were likely achieved by greatly stretching the two tentacles like elastic bands.
Solórzano's velvet worm ("Peripatus solorzanoi") is the largest velvet worm known. An adult female was recorded to have a body length of 22 cm (approximately 8.7 in).
Squid
In shallow-water species of the continental shelf and epipelagic or mesopelagic zones, it is frequently one or both of arm pair IV of males that are modified into hectocotyli. However, most deep-sea squid lack hectocotyl arms and have longer penises; Ancistrocheiridae and Cranchiinae are exceptions. Giant squid of the genus "Architeuthis" are unusual in that they possess both a large penis and modified arm tips, although whether the latter are used for spermatophore transfer is uncertain. Penis elongation has been observed in the deep-water species "Onykia ingens"; when erect, the penis may be as long as the mantle, head, and arms combined. As such, deep-water squid have the greatest known penis length relative to body size of all mobile animals, second in the entire animal kingdom only to certain sessile barnacles.
Uroteuthis duvauceli
Uroteuthis duvaucelii, also known as the Indian Ocean Squid or Indian Squid, is an Indo-West Pacific species of squid with a wide range throughout the Indian Ocean to Malaysia and the South China Sea, and is also present in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea. "U. duvaucelii" is found at depths between 3m and 170m and feeds on fishes, crustaceans and other squids. Individuals have mantles moderately long (commonly up to 150mm) and slender with broad fins approximately 50% of the mantle length.
Squid
The majority of squid are no more than long, although the giant squid may reach . The smallest species are probably the benthic pygmy squids "Idiosepius", which grow to a mantle length of , and have short bodies and stubby arms.
Giant squid
The giant squid has a sophisticated nervous system and complex brain, attracting great interest from scientists. It also has the largest eyes of any living creature except perhaps the colossal squid—up to at least in diameter, with a pupil (only the extinct ichthyosaurs are known to have had larger eyes). Large eyes can better detect light (including bioluminescent light), which is scarce in deep water. The giant squid probably cannot see colour, but it can probably discern small differences in tone, which is important in the low-light conditions of the deep ocean.
Cephalopod size
Marine biologist Frederick Aldrich, who personally examined more than a dozen giant squid specimens, wrote that his largest specimen from Newfoundland bore tentacular suckers "approximately two inches [] in diameter" but that "[s]uckers and their toothed armament of over twelve inches [] in diameter have been found in the stomachs of sperm whale as indigestible wastes" (Aldrich, 1980:59). This led him to entertain the idea of giant squid over long, and even to suggest a binomial name for this super-sized species, were it ever to be discovered: "Architeuthis halpertius" (Aldrich, 1980:59).
Cephalopod size
The list of largest cephalopods by mantle length is dominated by squids, with more than twenty species exceeding the largest-bodied octopuses and cuttlefish. The largest of all is the colossal squid ("Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni") with an estimated maximum mantle length of (Roper & Jereb, 2010c:173). Even greater mantle lengths have historically been reported for the giant squid ("Architeuthis dux"), but these have been discredited (see O'Shea & Bolstad, 2008).
Giant squid
In November 2006, American explorer and diver Scott Cassell led an expedition to the Gulf of California with the aim of filming a giant squid in its natural habitat. The team employed a novel filming method: using a Humboldt squid carrying a specially designed camera clipped to its fin. The camera-bearing squid caught on film what was claimed to be a giant squid, with an estimated length of , engaging in predatory behavior. The footage aired a year later on a History Channel program, "MonsterQuest: Giant Squid Found". Cassell subsequently distanced himself from this documentary, claiming that it contained multiple factual and scientific errors.
Neoteuthis
Neoteuthis is a monotypic genus of squid, the sole member is Neoteuthis thielei, from the family Neoteuthidae. This species has long tentacular clubs measuring 60% of the mantle length and fins which are 70% of its mantle length. It has a proximal locking-apparatus for the club which is restricted to manus, which in turn has proximal suckers which are circular. It has been recorded from the South Atlantic
Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, near the Canary Islands and North Pacific Ocean, north of Hawaii. The paralarvae and juveniles are found in the epipelagic to mesopelagic zones while adults occur in the mesopelagic to bathypelagic zones.
Giant squid
The first image of a live mature giant squid was taken on 15 January 2002, on Goshiki beach, Amino Cho, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. The animal, which measured about in mantle length and in total length, was found near the water's surface. It was captured and tied to a quay, where it died overnight. The specimen was identified by Koutarou Tsuchiya of the Tokyo University of Fisheries. It is on display at the National Science Museum of Japan.
Saltwater crocodile
The saltwater crocodile ("Crocodylus porosus"), also known as the estuarine crocodile, Indo-Pacific crocodile, marine crocodile, sea crocodile or informally as saltie, is the largest of all living reptiles, as well as the largest riparian predator in the world. Males of this species can reach sizes up to in length. However, an adult male saltwater crocodile rarely reaches or exceeds a size of weighing . Females are much smaller and often do not surpass .
Illex illecebrosus
The species mainly feeds on fish and crustaceans but it undergoes a shift from a crustacean dominated diet to a mainly fish diet. It feeds at night near the upper layers of water. Like other species of squid, cannibalism also occurs in smaller squids by larger squids. Based on the commercial catch of squid in Newfoundland in 1979, it was found that most squid prey on fish that are valuable for the market. The species feeds on many species of fish including Atlantic cod, hake, capelin, etc., in which their otoliths are found in the squid's stomach.
Ancistroteuthis
Ancistroteuthis lichtensteinii, also known as the angel clubhook squid or simply angel squid, is a species of squid in the family Onychoteuthidae and the sole member of the genus Ancistroteuthis. It grows to a mantle length of 30 cm. It can be found in the western Mediterranean Sea, subtropical and tropical eastern Atlantic Ocean and western north Atlantic Ocean. Its diet include mesopelagic fish and pelagic crustaceans. It is sometimes taken as bycatch by commercial fisheries, but is not a targeted species.
Mastigoteuthis psychrophila
Mastigoteuthis psychrophila is a species of whip-lash squid. It was first described by Kir Nazimovich Nesis in 1977, based on four individuals found in Antarctic waters. The largest was 143 mm long. The squid's tentacles are 15 mm in diameter, with 0.15 mm diameter club suckers. Integumental photophores are present upon the head, arms and fins. Although uncertain, it is believed to have more than two series of photophores on the arms, differing from other species in the "M. agassizii" group. However, this species, like the rest of the family, is badly in need of revision.
Cephalopod size
Despite their size, the eyes of giant and colossal squids do not appear to be disproportionately large; they do not deviate significantly from the allometric relationship seen across other squid species (Schmitz "et al.", 2013a:45). Sepiolids are noted for having exceptionally large eyes, which are much bigger relative to their mantle length than those of the giant squid; the same is true of "Histioteuthis" species (Schmitz "et al.", 2013a). Gonatids and the loliginids "Loligo" and "Lolliguncula" also have proportionately somewhat larger eyes than "Architeuthis" (Schmitz "et al.", 2013a). Some sources state that the vampire squid ("Vampyroteuthis infernalis") has the largest eyes of any animal relative to its size, with a specimen having eyes around in diameter (Ellis, 1996:177; [Anonymous], 2005a; though see Young "et al.", 2015).
List of giant squid specimens and sightings
Though the total number of recorded giant squid specimens now runs into the hundreds, the species remains notoriously elusive and little known. Attempts to capture a glimpse of a "live" giant squid—described as "the most elusive image in natural history" (Ellis, 1998a:211)—were mooted since at least the 1960s (Oreskes, 2003:716; Oreskes, 2014:29). Efforts intensified significantly towards the end of the century, with the launch of several multi-million-dollar expeditions in the late 1990s, though these were all unsuccessful. The first years of the 21st century saw a number of breakthroughs in live giant squid imaging (Baird, 2002; Kubodera, 2010) that ultimately culminated in the first recording of a live animal (#507) in its natural deep-water habitat—from a manned submersible off Japan's Ogasawara Islands—in July 2012 ([NHK], 2013a, b; Dery, 2013). Despite these recent advances and the growing number of both specimens and recordings of live animals, the species continues to occupy a unique place in the public imagination (Guerra "et al.", 2011:1990). As Roper "et al." (2015:83) wrote: "Few events in the natural world stimulate more excitement and curiosity among scientists and laymen alike than the discovery of a specimen of "Architeuthis"."
Great hammerhead
The great hammerhead ("Sphyrna mokarran") is the largest species of hammerhead shark, belonging to the family Sphyrnidae, attaining a maximum length of . It is found in tropical and warm temperate waters worldwide, inhabiting coastal areas and the continental shelf. The great hammerhead can be distinguished from other hammerheads by the shape of its "hammer" (called the "cephalofoil"), which is wide with an almost straight front margin, and by its tall, sickle-shaped first dorsal fin. A solitary, strong-swimming apex predator, the great hammerhead feeds on a wide variety of prey ranging from crustaceans and cephalopods, to bony fish, to smaller sharks. Observations of this species in the wild suggest that the cephalofoil functions to immobilize stingrays, a favored prey. This species has a viviparous mode of reproduction, bearing litters of up to 55 pups every two years.
Cephalopod size
It would be more than a decade before the true first photographs of a live giant squid in the wild were taken on 30 September 2004 by Tsunemi Kubodera and Kyoichi Mori (Kubodera & Mori, 2005; Kubodera, 2010:25). Kubodera and his team subsequently became the first to "film" a live "adult" giant squid on 4 December 2006 ([Anonymous], 2007; Kubodera, 2010:38), and the first to "film" a live giant squid "in its natural habitat" in July 2012 ([Anonymous], 2013; [NHK], 2013c). These milestones were preceded by the first footage of a live (paralarval) giant squid in 2001 (Baird, 2002), and the first image of a live adult giant squid on 15 January 2002 ([Anonymous], 2002a; O'Shea, 2003d). Since then, live giant squid have been photographed and filmed on a number of occasions ("e.g." Guerra "et al.", 2018).
Illex argentinus
"Illex argentines" is most prevalent along the coasts of South America, in Brazil and Argentina. They are some of the most sought after squid species, as some of the largest fisheries in the world are along these coasts, capturing millions of pounds of these shortfin squid a year . Although they are relatively small species, they tend to form dense communities, making them easy to be caught by fisheries by the ton .
Teuthowenia maculata
Teuthowenia maculata is a species of glass squid in the genus "Teuthowenia". It is similar to the two other members of its genus - "T. megalops" and "T. pellucida", but it is only found in the tropical waters off the coast of Africa in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. The largest recorded specimen is an immature male with a mantle length of .
Galiteuthis phyllura
Galiteuthis phyllura, also known as the cockatoo squid, is a species of glass squid, possibly the largest in the genus.
List of giant squid specimens and sightings
The earliest records of very large squid date to classical antiquity, and the writings of Aristotle and Pliny the Elder (Gerhardt, 1966:171; Muntz, 1995; Ellis, 1998a:11). But in the absence of detailed descriptions or surviving remains, it is not possible to assign these to the giant squid genus "Architeuthis" with any confidence, and they are therefore not included in this list. Basque and Portuguese cod fishermen observed what were likely giant squid carcasses in the waters of the Grand Banks of Newfoundland as early as the 16th century (Roper "et al.", 2015:78), but conclusive evidence is similarly lacking. The earliest specimens identifiable as true giant squid are generally accepted to be ones from the early modern period in the 17th and 18th centuries (Ellis, 1994a:379), and possibly as far back as the 16th century (#1; Ellis, 1998a:257; Sweeney & Roper, 2001:[27]; Guerra "et al.", 2004a:428; though see Paxton & Holland, 2005).
Walvisteuthis virilis
Walvisteuthis virilis is a species of squid from the family Onychoteuthidae, it is the type species of the genus "Walvisteuthis". It may be synonymous with "Walvisteuthis rancureli". The type specimen was collected a mature male with a mantle length of 71 mm collected near the Walvis Ridge in the eastern South Atlantic Ocean at a depth of 1000m. A second specimen was subsequently collected on the other side of the South Atlantic, also a mature male with a total length of 71mm.
Bigfin reef squid
The bigfin reef squid is the first squid species to have been cultured for more than one generation. It is remarkable for its ability to readily adapt to being confined in tanks, and is one of the few squid species of which the entire life span has been observed under laboratory conditions.
Cephalopod size
Squid giant axons can exceed in diameter: 100 to 1000 times the thickness of mammalian axons. The axons of the Humboldt squid ("Dosidicus gigas") are exceptional in that they can reach a diameter of as much as , and those of "Loligo forbesii" can also exceed 1 mm (Adelman & Gilbert, 1990:102). Such was the importance of Humboldt squid to electrophysiology research that when the animals migrated out of reach of Chilean fishermen in the 1970s "it led to the demise of a world-class electrophysiology laboratory" based there (Scully, 2008). Squid giant axon diameters do not necessarily correlate with overall body size; those of the giant squid ("Architeuthis dux") are only thick (Adelman & Gilbert, 1990:102).
List of giant squid specimens and sightings
Including the head and arms but excluding the tentacles (standard length, SL), the species very rarely exceeds according to O'Shea & Bolstad (2008). Paxton (2016a) considers to be the greatest reliably measured SL, based on a specimen (#47) reported by Verrill (1880a:192), and considers specimens of SL or more to be "very probable", but these conclusions have been criticised by giant squid experts (Greshko, 2016).
Giant squid
In July 2012, a crew from television networks NHK and Discovery Channel captured what they describe as "the first-ever footage of a live giant squid in its natural habitat". The footage was revealed on a NHK Special on 13 January 2013, and was shown on Discovery Channel's show "Monster Squid: The Giant Is Real" on 27 January 2013, and on "Giant Squid: Filming the Impossible – Natural World Special" on BBC Two. The squid was about long and was missing its feeding tentacles, likely from a failed attack by a sperm whale. It was drawn into viewing range by both artificial bioluminescence created to mimic panicking Atolla jellyfish and by using a "Thysanoteuthis rhombus" (diamond squid) as bait. The giant squid was filmed feeding for about 23 minutes by Tsunemi Kubodera until it departed. The technique of using unobtrusive viewing and bioluminescence luring of the squid with quiet unobtrusive platforms was described by Edith Widder, a member of the expedition.
Squid
Squid form a major food resource and are used in cuisines around the world, notably in Japan where it is eaten as ika-somen, sliced into vermicelli-like strips; as sashimi; and as tempura. Three species of "Loligo" are used in large quantities, "L. vulgaris" in the Mediterranean (known as "Calamar" in Spanish, "Calamaro" in Italian); "L. forbesii" in the Northeast Atlantic; and "L. pealei" on the American East Coast. Among the Ommastrephidae, "Todarodes pacificus" is the main commercial species, harvested in large quantities across the North Pacific in Canada, Japan and China.
Giant squid
In 2004, another giant squid, later named "Archie", was caught off the coast of the Falkland Islands by a fishing trawler. It was long and was sent to the Natural History Museum in London to be studied and preserved. It was put on display on 1 March 2006 at the Darwin Centre. The find of such a large, complete specimen is very rare, as most specimens are in a poor condition, having washed up dead on beaches or been retrieved from the stomachs of dead sperm whales.
Giant squid
On 4 December 2006, an adult giant squid was caught on video near the Ogasawara Islands, south of Tokyo, by researchers from the National Science Museum of Japan led by Tsunemi Kubodera. It was a small female about long and weighing . The bait used by the scientists initially attracted a medium-sized squid measuring around , which in turn attracted the giant squid. It was pulled aboard the research vessel, but died in the process.
Thysanoteuthis
Thysanoteuthis is a genus of large squid comprising one well-known species, the diamond squid, and two dubious taxa.The species listed above with an asterisk (*) are questionable and need further study to determine if they are valid species or synonyms. The question mark (?) indicates questionable placement within the genus.
Giant isopod
Giant isopods are a good example of deep-sea gigantism ("cf." giant squid), as they are far larger than the "typical" isopods that are up to . "Bathynomus" can be divided into "giant" species where the adults generally are between long and "supergiant" species where the adults generally are between . One of the "supergiants", "B. giganteus", reaches an average length between , with a maximum weight and length of approximately and respectively.
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
The museum has the world's largest specimen of the rare colossal squid ("Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni"). It weighs and is long. The squid arrived at the museum in March 2007 after being captured by New Zealand fisherman in the Ross Sea off Antarctica. The cultural collections include collections on photography, Māori taonga (cultural treasures), and Pacific cultures.
List of giant squid specimens and sightings (21st century)
The beginning of the 21st century marked a turning point in our understanding of the life habits of the giant squid, as it ushered in the first visually documented and incontrovertible observations of live animals, both adult and paralarval (Dery, 2013; Mullen, 2013; Schrope, 2013). The quest to photograph or film a live giant squid—mooted since at least the 1960s—had begun in earnest in the 1980s and intensified significantly in the following decade, with several multi-million-dollar expeditions launched in the late 1990s. While these were all unsuccessful, they were followed by a steady stream of live giant squid "firsts" in the nascent years of the 21st century, and spurred further efforts that ultimately culminated in the first footage of a live giant squid in its natural deep-ocean habitat—recorded from a manned submersible off Japan's Ogasawara Islands—in 2012.
Flora and fauna of the Discworld
A small species of squid, whose curiosity exceeds their ability at making connections. They are small, harmless and reckoned by many experts to have the foulest taste of any creature in the world. Due to this they are in great demand at a certain type of restaurant where skilled chefs with great care make dishes containing no trace of the squid at all (a spoof on fugu). Apparently the only place they can be found is in the area around the sunken island of Leshp, in the Circle Sea, approximately halfway between Al-Khali and Ankh-Morpork.
Notonykia africanae
Notonykia africanae ('African clubhook-squid',) is a species of squid in the family Onychoteuthidae. It is the type species of the genus "Notonykia". While the mature size of the species is unknown, it is known to reach a mantle length of at least 180 mm. Tentacles reach approximately 70% of the mantle length, and contain 14-20 club hooks. Arms are known to reach 27-45% (arm I) and 33-55% (arms II-IV) of the mantle length; each containing 50-60 suckers. The species is located in southern waters off Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand and South Africa.
Kondakovia longimana
Kondakovia longimana, also known as the giant warty squid or longarm octopus squid, is a large species of hooked squid. It attains a mantle length of at least 85 cm and probably over 1.15 m. The largest complete specimen of this species, measuring 2.3 m in total length, was found in Antarctica in 2000.
List of largest fish
The cartilaginous fish are not directly related to the "bony fish," but are sometimes lumped together for simplicity in description. The largest living cartilaginous fish, of the order Orectolobiformes, is the whale shark ("Rhincodon typus"), of the world's tropical oceans. It is also the largest living animal that is not a cetacean and, like the largest whales, it is a docile creature that filter-feeds on tiny plankton. An average adult species measure long and weigh an average of 9 tonnes. The largest verified specimen was caught in 1949 off Karachi, Pakistan and was long and weighed 21.5 tonnes. Although many are dubious, there are several reports of larger whale sharks, with reliable sources citing unverified specimens of up to 37 tonnes and .
Cranchiidae
The family Cranchiidae comprises the approximately 60 species of glass squid, also known as cockatoo squid, cranchiid, cranch squid, or bathyscaphoid squid. Cranchiid squid occur in surface and midwater depths of open oceans around the world. They range in mantle length from to over , in the case of the colossal squid. The common name, glass squid, derives from the transparent nature of most species. Cranchiid squid spend much of their lives in partially sunlit shallow waters, where their transparency provides camouflage. They are characterised by a swollen body and short arms, which bear two rows of suckers or hooks. The third arm pair is often enlarged. Many species are bioluminescent organisms and possess light organs on the undersides of their eyes, used to cancel their shadows. Eye morphology varies widely, ranging from large and circular to telescopic and stalked. A large, fluid-filled chamber containing ammonia solution is used to aid buoyancy. This buoyancy system is unique to the family and is the source of their common name "bathyscaphoid squid", after their resemblance to a bathyscaphe. Often the only organ that is visible through the transparent tissues is a cigar-shaped digestive gland, which is the cephalopod equivalent of a mammalian liver. This is usually held in a vertical position to reduce its silhouette and a light organ is sometimes present on the lower tip to further minimise its appearance in the water.
Colossal squid
The squid exhibits abyssal gigantism. The beak of "M. hamiltoni" is the largest known of any squid, and more robust than that of the giant squid. The colossal squid also has the largest eyes documented in the animal kingdom; a partly collapsed specimen measured in diameter, with a pupil. The eye was estimated to be when the squid was alive.
List of giant squid specimens and sightings (21st century)
It was only on 30 September 2004 that a live giant squid was photographed in its natural deep-water habitat, off the Ogasawara Islands, by Tsunemi Kubodera and Kyoichi Mori (#466; Kubodera & Mori, 2005; Kubodera, 2010:25), the culmination of an effort that spanned three years and 26 week-long expeditions (Dery, 2013). Kubodera and his team, again working off the Ogasawara Islands, subsequently became the first to "film" a live "adult" giant squid on 4 December 2006 (#473; [Reuters], 2007; Kubodera, 2010:38).
Centro del Calamar Gigante
Centro del Calamar Gigante previously held the world's largest collection of giant squid, but many of the museum's specimens were destroyed during a storm on 2 February 2014. One of the specimens that survived the storm was a giant squid caught off Gandia in July 2005 – the first male recorded from the Mediterranean Sea. A few days after the storm the museum was broken into at night and vandalised. As of April 2014 the museum remains closed until further notice.
Cephalopod size
The maximum size of the giant squid ("Architeuthis dux") has long been a subject of both popular debate and academic inquiry (Ellis, 1998b; Paxton, 2016a; Bittel, 2016; Romanov "et al.", 2017). Unlike the colossal squid, the giant squid is known from a substantial number of mature specimens. The total number of recorded specimens (across all developmental stages) approaches a thousand, with approximately 700 documented , of which around 460 had been measured in some way (Paxton, 2016a). This number has since increased substantially, with 57 specimens recorded from Japanese waters during an exceptional 15-month period between 2014 and 2015 (Kubodera "et al.", 2016).
Largest organisms
The lion's mane jellyfish ("Cyanea capillata") is the largest cnidaria species, of the class Scyphozoa. The largest known specimen of this giant, found washed up on the shore of Massachusetts Bay in 1870, had a bell diameter of , a weight of . The tentacles of this specimens were as long as and were projected to have a tentacular spread of about making it one of the longest extant animals.
The largest roundworm, "Placentonema gigantissima", is a parasite found in the placentas of sperm whales which can reach up to in length.
Onykia ingens
Onykia ingens, the greater hooked squid, is a species of squid in the family Onychoteuthidae. It occurs worldwide in subantarctic oceans.
Giant squid
The only known predators of adult giant squid are sperm whales, but pilot whales may also feed on them. Juveniles are preyed on by deep-sea sharks and other fish. Because sperm whales are skilled at locating giant squid, scientists have tried to observe them to study the squid. Giant squid have also been recently discovered to presumably steal food from each other; in mid-to-late October 2016, a giant squid washed ashore in Galicia, Spain. The squid had been photographed alive shortly before its death by a tourist named Javier Ondicol, and examination of its corpse by the Coordinators for the Study and Protection of Marine Species (CEPESMA) indicates that the squid was attacked and mortally wounded by another giant squid, losing parts of its fins, and receiving damage to its mantle, one of its gills and losing an eye. The intact nature of the specimen indicates that the giant squid managed to escape its rival by slowly retreating to shallow water, where it died of its wounds. The incident is the second to be documented among "Architeuthis" recorded in Spain, with the other occurring in Villaviciosa. Evidence in the form of giant squid stomach contents containing beak fragments from other giant squid in Tasmania also supports the theory that the species is at least occasionally cannibalistic. Alternatively, such squid-on-squid attacks may be a result of competition for prey. These traits are seen in the Humboldt squid as well, indicating that cannibalism in large squid may be more common than originally thought.
Cephalopod size
By comparison, giant squid suckers "normally" reach a maximum diameter of only a few centimetres. Based on a detailed examination of a number of large specimens from New Zealand waters, Förch (1998:55) wrote that "[t]he largest suckers [...] on the sessile arms are a very constant in external diameter". In giant squid the largest suckers of all are found on the central portion of the tentacular club, called the "manus", and among the specimens examined by Förch (1998:53) these reached a maximum diameter of . Clarke (1980) wrote: "I have not yet seen conclusive evidence to suggest that sucker scars are larger than across" (Ellis, 1998a:142). According to Roper & Boss (1982:97), the largest suckers of the tentacular clubs reach in diameter.
Bigfin reef squid
Bigfin reef squids are one of the most commercially important squid species, and are widely consumed as human food. They are usually caught in large numbers by trawling, seine fishing, or fixed net traps. In small-scale fishing, they are caught by jigging, drive-in nets, slingshot-driven spearguns, or with squid pots.
Cephalopod size
The largest known complete specimen of the colossal squid was a mature female captured in the Ross Sea in February 2007. Its weight was initially estimated at , its mantle length at , and its total length at (O'Shea & Bolstad, 2008; [Anonymous],). Once completely thawed the specimen was found to weigh , but to measure only in mantle length and in total length ([Anonymous],). It is likely that the specimen, and particularly its tentacles, shrank considerably "post mortem" as a result of dehydration, having been kept in a freezer for 14 months. (As reported by the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, specimens of "Nototodarus sloanii", the New Zealand arrow squid, can shrink by as much as 22% when dehydrated with alcohol solutions; see [Anonymous],.) The colossal squid specimen contracted by a further 5% after several years in preservative fluid (first formalin and later propylene glycol; see Lovis, 2011). The fins of the 2007 Ross Sea specimen measured around across and it had a mantle width of ([Anonymous],). The arms ranged in length from to , while the two tentacles were around long ([Anonymous],).
Bigfin squid
The first record of this family comes from a specimen ("Magnapinna talismani") caught off the Azores in 1907. However, due to the damaged nature of the find, very little information could be discerned and it was classified as a mastigoteuthid, first as "Chiroteuthopsis talismani" and later as "Mastigoteuthis talismani". In 1956, a similar squid ("Magnapinna" sp. C) was caught in the South Atlantic, but little was thought of it at the time. The specimen was illustrated in Alister Hardy's "The Open Sea" (1956), where it was identified as "Octopodoteuthopsis".
Histioteuthidae
The species classified uncer Histioteuthidae are mostly weakly muscled, moderately sized squid with a maximum mantle length of 33 cm. They generally have very long, robust arms and a short mantle with small, rounded fins. Their main distinguishing feature is that the eyes are different sizes and orient in different vertical directions. The larger left eye is semitubular, mobile, generally is directed back and up as indicated by the pattern of iridophores on the eye's outer surface. This means that when the squid is positioned onliquely the eye is pointed upwards towards the surface. It is thought that this is used to detect animals above the squid silhouetted against the sun during the day. The right eye has a normal shape and is oriented laterally and slightly downward. This arrangement gives the family the common name of cock-eyed squid.
Cephalopod size
Cephalopods were at one time the largest of all organisms on Earth (Smith "et al.", 2016), and numerous species of comparable size to the largest present day squids are known from the fossil record, including enormous examples of ammonoids, belemnoids, nautiloids, orthoceratoids, teuthids, and vampyromorphids. In terms of mass, the largest of all known cephalopods were likely the giant shelled ammonoids and endocerid nautiloids (Teichert & Kummel, 1960:6), though perhaps still second to the largest living cephalopods when considering tissue mass alone (Vermeij, 2016).
Lycoteuthis lorigera
Lycoteuthis lorigera is a species of squid in the genus "Lycoteuthis". They grow up to 8 cm in length.
List of giant squid specimens and sightings (21st century)
This list of giant squid specimens and sightings from the 21st century is a comprehensive timeline of recent human encounters with members of the genus "Architeuthis", popularly known as giant squid. It includes animals that were caught by fishermen, found washed ashore, recovered (in whole or in part) from sperm whales and other predatory species, as well as those reliably sighted at sea. The list also covers specimens incorrectly assigned to the genus "Architeuthis" in original descriptions or later publications.
Cephalopod size
The Humboldt squid commonly attains a weight of around (Roper "et al.", 2010b:301) and can reach a maximum of (Nigmatullin "et al.", 2001:10; Roper "et al.", 2010b:301). There are anecdotal reports of much larger individual animals, including from diver Scott Cassell, who has dived with Humboldt squid over 300 times, more than any other person (Cassell, 2005).
Magnoteuthis microlucens
Magnoteuthis microlucens is a species of squid; the most common species of "Mastigoteuthis" around the main Hawaiian Islands.
Colossal squid
The squid's known range extends thousands of kilometres north of Antarctica to southern South America, southern South Africa, and the southern tip of New Zealand, making it primarily an inhabitant of the entire circumantarctic Southern Ocean.
Baidu 10 Mythical Creatures
Fa Ke You (, "Fǎ Kè Yóu"), literally "French-Croatian Squid" (with the name derived from the direct Chinese transliteration of "fuck you" in English), was supposedly a species of squid discovered simultaneously by France () and Croatia (), hence the name. The Baidu Baike article claims that "Fa Ke You" is a species of invertebrate, aggressive squid found in Europe. When agitated, it is said that they release a form of "white-coloured liquid". These squids are said to cause great harm to humans when attacked. When some of these squids reached East Asia, it is said that they became hunted, and eaten with corn. Such a dish is known as "yù mǐ fǎ kè yóu" (, "Corn French-Croatian Squid", referring to the fans of Li Yuchun, dubbed "corns"), being one of the world's top five greatest delicacies. An alternate name for the dish in question is (fēi zhǔ liú de fǎ kè yóu, "Non-mainstream French-Croatian Squid"). This is apparently due to the behaviour of these squids, which do not inhabit major rivers, or the "main stream" of a river system, thus scientists dubbing them as squids with "deviant behaviour".
Cephalopod size
Perhaps the most notable misidentification relates to a photograph taken some time before 1993 by diver H. Kubota off southern Japan (Ellis, 1998a:211; Norman, 2000:174). The image shows a large individual of "Onykia robusta" (previously known as "Moroteuthis robusta"), which appears to be sick or dying, alongside a diver in shallow water (Ellis, 1998a:211). A video of the same animal appeared in a Japanese made-for-television film (Ellis, 1998a:211). The image was published in the 1993 book "European Seashells" by Guido T. Poppe and Yoshihiro Goto, where it was identified as "Architeuthis dux", the giant squid, and said to have been taken in the North Atlantic (Poppe & Goto, 1993). If true, this image would represent the first known photograph of a live giant squid. In "The Search for the Giant Squid" (1998), Richard Ellis wrote:
Whale shark
The whale shark ("Rhincodon typus") is a slow-moving, filter-feeding carpet shark and the largest known extant fish species. The largest confirmed individual had a length of and a weight of about . The whale shark holds many records for size in the animal kingdom, most notably being by far the largest living nonmammalian vertebrate. It is the sole member of the genus Rhincodon and the only extant member of the family Rhincodontidae which belongs to the subclass Elasmobranchii in the class Chondrichthyes. Before 1984 it was classified as "Rhiniodon" into Rhinodontidae.
List of giant squid specimens and sightings (21st century)
In 2001 Steve O'Shea succeeded in capturing the first footage of a live giant squid when he caught and filmed several paralarval individuals in captivity (#428; Baird, 2002; Young, 2002). This milestone was followed by the first images of a live "adult" giant squid (at the surface) on 15 January 2002, near Goshiki beach in Amino-cho, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan (#442). The animal, which measured about in mantle length and in total length, was found near the water's surface. It was captured and tied to a quay, where it died overnight ([Anonymous], 2002b; O'Shea, 2003f; Hellwarth, 2012). These images were joined by a number of little-publicised photographs of live adults at the surface off Okinawa (#449, 450, and 464). Renewed interest in filming a live giant squid followed the of an enormous specimen of bigfin squid (?Magnapinnidae) at great depth off Hawaii, which received global media attention (Morelli, 2002a), and the observation of a possible giant squid egg mass in early 2002 (#443; [Anonymous], 2002d). This included further efforts by O'Shea to capture live paralarval specimens (Morelli, 2002b; Grann, 2004) and another unsuccessful attempt to film a live adult in the wild, dubbed "Proyecto Kraken" ("Project Kraken"), made off the Spanish coast of Asturias in September 2002 and led by giant squid expert Ángel Guerra (Barreiro, 2002; Sitges, 2003; Soriano, 2003; Guerra, 2013). Amid growing competition between researchers, in September 2003 it was reported that O'Shea was leading a team that planned to image a live giant squid by suspending cameras in the water column that would release "puréed" female gonads to attract a male ([Anonymous], 2003c).
Little flying squid
The little flying squid is said to be dwarf species of flying squid compared to the other species of "Todarodes", the largest female recorded to date had a mantle length of 74mm and the largest male measured 68mm mantle. The maximum mantle length is not thought to exceed 100mm, compared to 500mm for the Japanese flying squid. It also has relatively small fins which only have a length equivalent to 25 to 31% of the mantle length (35-40% in the Japanese flying squid). It has a cylindrical, muscular body, typical of related species, which tapers to a short, pointed tail.
Giant squid
Steenstrup wrote a number of papers on giant squid in the 1850s. He first used the term ""Architeuthus"" (this was the spelling he chose) in a paper in 1857. A portion of a giant squid was secured by the French corvette "Alecton" in 1861, leading to wider recognition of the genus in the scientific community. From 1870 to 1880, many squid were stranded on the shores of Newfoundland. For example, a specimen washed ashore in Thimble Tickle Bay, Newfoundland on 2 November 1878; its mantle was reported to be long, with one tentacle long, and it was estimated as weighing . In 1873, a squid "attacked" a minister and a young boy in a dory near Bell Island, Newfoundland. Many strandings also occurred in New Zealand during the late 19th century.
Although strandings continue to occur sporadically throughout the world, none have been as frequent as those at Newfoundland and New Zealand in the 19th century. It is not known why giant squid become stranded on shore, but it may be because the distribution of deep, cold water where squid live is temporarily altered. Many scientists who have studied squid mass strandings believe they are cyclical and predictable. The length of time between strandings is not known, but was proposed to be 90 years by "Architeuthis" specialist Frederick Aldrich. Aldrich used this value to correctly predict a relatively small stranding that occurred between 1964 and 1966.
Cephalopod size
Size, and particularly maximum size, has been one of the most interesting aspects of cephalopod science to the general public and scientists alike (Glaubrecht & Salcedo-Vargas, 2004; O'Shea & Bolstad, 2008; Guerra & Segonzac, 2014; Hogenboom, 2014; Paxton, 2016a). This is evidenced by the regular coverage given to the giant squid—and more recently, the colossal squid—in both the popular press and academic literature (see Ellis, 1998a; Roper & Shea, 2013; Rosa "et al.", 2017). Due to its status as a charismatic megafaunal species, the giant squid has been proposed as an emblematic animal for marine invertebrate conservation (Guerra "et al.", 2011). Life-sized models of the giant squid are a common sight in natural history museums around the world (Tratz, 1973; Ellis, 1997a, b), and preserved specimens are much sought after for display (Landman & Ellis, 1998; Ablett, 2012).
Giant cephalopods have fascinated humankind since time immemorial. The earliest surviving records are perhaps those of Aristotle and Pliny the Elder, both of whom described squids of very large size (Gerhardt, 1966:171; Muntz, 1995; Ellis, 1998a:11). Tales of giant squid have been common among mariners since ancient times, and may have inspired the monstrous kraken of Nordic legend, said to be as large as an island and capable of engulfing and sinking any ship (Salvador & Tomotani, 2014). Similar tentacled sea monsters are known from other parts of the globe, including the Akkorokamui of Japan and Te Wheke-a-Muturangi of New Zealand. The Lusca of the Caribbean and Scylla in Greek mythology may also derive from giant squid sightings (Ley, 1941), as might eyewitness accounts of other sea monsters such as sea serpents (Lee, 1883; Ellis, 1994b).
Largest prehistoric animals
Both "Tusoteuthis" and "Yezoteuthis" are estimated to be similar in size to the modern-day giant squid.
Sthenoteuthis
Sthenoteuthis is a genus of s a small genus of squid, with two species, part of the subfamily Ommastrephinae within the family Ommastrephidae, the "flying squids". They are the dominant species of flying squid in the world's tropical and subtropical seas and they are commonly seen at the ocean's surface during the night. Their size ranges from mantle lengths of 100mm to 600mm.
Cephalopod size
Perhaps the largest of all recorded giant squid specimens was the one found floating at the surface off Saint-Gilles, Réunion, on 4 March 2016 (Romanov "et al.", 2017). Although due to its great size the specimen could not be retrieved in its entirety, the head and arm crown were saved. Crucially, this meant the beak could be measured to estimate the mantle length and total length of the specimen. Using different allometric scaling equations, the lower rostral length of the beak, at , gave an estimated dorsal mantle length of and this, in turn, was used to estimate the total length at (Romanov "et al.", 2017).
Illex coindetii
"Illex coindetii" is one of the two squid species most frequently fished for human consumption in the northeastern and central Atlantic (particularly in Spain and Portugal), the other species being the lesser flying squid ("Todaropsis eblanae"). In the Mediterranean, they constitute an important by-catch of the fishing industry in Sicily, along with the European flying squid ("Todarodes sagittatus").
Caribbean reef squid
Caribbean reef squid ("Sepioteuthis sepioidea"), commonly called reef squid, are small, torpedo-shaped squid with undulating fins that extend nearly the entire length of the body. In 2001, marine biologist Silvia Maciá discovered that squid were able to propel themselves up out of the water about and fly approximately before re-entry; a discovery which led to the identification of six species of flying squid.
French corvette Alecton
On November 30, or November 17, 1861 the French corvette "Alecton" was, on its way to Cayenne, navigating near Tenerife, the largest and most populous island of the seven Canary Islands. As the ship neared the island the lookout on duty yelled to the crew below: “a large body, partly submerged, on the surface.” The captain, "commandeur" Bouguer, had heard reports of giant squid but the scientific community disputed their existence. Mutilated, decomposed pieces of giant squid had surfaced, most notably off Zealand, Denmark in 1847, and another at The Skaw in 1854. Yet no one had ever captured or even seen a live specimen. Seeing his chance to capture the rare species, the captain ordered the ship to attack and harpoon the squid.
Cephalopod attack
One of the largest beaks ever recorded was on a 495-kilogram colossal squid. The beak had a lower rostral length of 42.5 millimeters. Many beaks have also been discovered in the stomachs of sperm whales, as the stomach juices dissolve the soft flesh of the squid, leaving the hard beaks behind. The largest beak ever discovered this way had a lower rostral length of 49 millimeters, indicating that the original squid was 600 to 700 kilograms.
Lolliguncula
Lolliguncula is a genus of squid from the family Loliginidae from the eastern Pacific and western Atlantic, known as brief squid. The genus is divided into two subgenera "Lolliguncula" and "Loliolopsis". They are rather small squids with a maximum mantle length of 120mm, that inhabit shallow warm seas, although some species have been recorded in areas of low salinity. They are typified by having a short mantle, which is round at the posterior; and fins that are broader than long, but which have no posterior lobes. The males produce spermatophores with a long cement body and they lack a ventral crest on their hectocotylus. Their suckers have square teeth which ring the entire margin or are placed distally. The males do not have enlarged suckers on the left ventral arm. The tentacular club is expanded and contains suckers in four series. The two subgenera differ in the morphology of the hectocotylus.
List of giant squid specimens and sightings
Giant squid size—long a subject of both popular debate and academic inquiry (Ellis, 1998b; Paxton, 2016a, b; Bittel, 2016; Romanov "et al.", 2017)—has often been misreported and exaggerated. Reports of specimens reaching or even exceeding in total length are widespread, but no animals approaching this size have been scientifically documented in recent times, despite the hundreds of specimens available for study. The "Thimble Tickle specimen" (#46) reported by Verrill (1880a:191) is often cited as the largest giant squid ever recorded, and the specimen described by Kirk (1888) as "Architeuthis longimanus" (#62)—a strangely proportioned animal that has been much commented on—is sometimes cited as the "longest" (O'Shea & Bolstad, 2008; Paxton, 2016a). It is now thought likely that such lengths were achieved by great lengthening of the two long feeding tentacles, analogous to stretching elastic bands, or resulted from inadequate measurement methods such as pacing (O'Shea & Bolstad, 2008; Dery, 2013; Roper & Shea, 2013:113; Hanlon & Messenger, 2018:267).
Deep-sea gigantism
Examples of deep-sea gigantism include the giant isopod, giant ostracod, the giant sea spider, the giant amphipod, the Japanese spider crab, the giant oarfish, the deepwater stingray, the seven-arm octopus, and a number of squid species: the colossal squid (up to 14 m in length), the giant squid (up to 12 m), "Onykia robusta", "Taningia danae", "Galiteuthis phyllura", "Kondakovia longimana", and the bigfin squid.
Giant squid
The number of known giant squid specimens was close to 700 in 2011, and new ones are reported each year. Around 30 of these specimens are exhibited at museums and aquaria worldwide. The Centro del Calamar Gigante in Luarca, Spain, had by far the largest collection on public display, but many of the museum's specimens were destroyed during a storm in February 2014.
European flying squid
The European flying squid is a large species squid with a maximum reported size of 750mm measured by mantle length for an unsexed specimen, although this was probably
a female, the largest mantle length known for a male is 640 mm, and these animals commonly have mantle lengths of between 250mm and 350 mm. It has a slender, long and muscular mantle with wide and strong fins, the length of the fins being equivalent to 45% of the mantle length, and is just slightly wider than it is long, tapering to a point posteriorly. The funnel groove has a foveola which does not have side pockets. The tentacular club is very long and extends over three quarters of the length of the contracted tentacle, the club's suckers are held on the elongated carpus in 10 to 12 pairs, the sucker rings of the medial manus suckers have 17 to 20 long pointed teeth; the suckers of the manus are arranged in four series of 14 to 18 rows; the suckers on the dactylus are also arranged in 4 rows. The arm suckers have an enlarged central tooth, 7 to 9 regular teeth and have almost no small alternating teeth. There are no light organs on the viscera. The arms are slender and are more than double the length of the head. The fourth right arm is hectocotylised in males and gas the terminal suckers modified into fleshy papillae. The body is dark purplish in colour.
Toothed whale
Sperm whales usually dive between , and sometimes , in search of food. Such dives can last more than an hour. They feed on several species, notably the giant squid, but also the colossal squid, octopuses, and fish like demersal rays, but their diet is mainly medium-sized squid. Some prey may be taken accidentally while eating other items. A study in the Galápagos found that squid from the genera "Histioteuthis" (62%), "Ancistrocheirus" (16%), and "Octopoteuthis" (7%) weighing between were the most commonly taken. Battles between sperm whales and giant squid or colossal squid have never been observed by humans; however, white scars are believed to be caused by the large squid. A 2010 study suggests that female sperm whales may collaborate when hunting Humboldt squid.
The killer whale is known to prey on numerous other toothed whale species. One example is the false killer whale. To subdue and kill whales, orcas continuously ram them with their heads; this can sometimes kill bowhead whales, or severely injure them. Other times, they corral their prey before striking. They are typically hunted by groups of 10 or fewer killer whales, but they are seldom attacked by an individual. Calves are more commonly taken by killer whales, but adults can be targeted, as well. Groups even attack larger cetaceans such as minke whales, gray whales, and rarely sperm whales or blue whales. Other marine mammal prey species include nearly 20 species of seal, sea lion and fur seal.
Galiteuthis phyllura
In 1984, the Russian stern-trawler "Novoulianovsk" brought up the remains of a gigantic specimen of "G. phyllura" from a depth of 1000–1300 m in the Sea of Okhotsk. Based on this material, which consisted of a 40 cm long arm and 115 cm tentacle, Kir Nesis estimated the mantle length at 265–275 cm, and the total length at over 4 m. This would make it the second largest squid species in terms of mantle length, after only the colossal squid, and even larger than the giant squid. However, Nesis added that "because of its narrow body, we conclude that its mass is consistently lower than that of the other large squids".