Giant Squid, Do They Really Exist?

Brian Gray

 

Giant squid, or Architeuthis dux, are a great mystery to humans.  Most of what you hear about the creature seems to be rumors or seeming far-fetched claims about the giant squid attacking ships or whales.  These squid are rumored to live deep in the ocean and in cold water.  Trueauthority.com says that the largest giant squid to be measured was nearly 55 feet in length, from the tip of the mantle to the end of the tentacles1  This squid was measured in 1878.  There have been many bodies of these giant squid that have washed up on shore.  Recently, with more efficient fishing techniques, some giant squid have been caught in fishing nets, although none have survived the trip to the surface.  The largest of these giant squid which provided evidence of the length was 40 feet long and 440 pounds (abcnews.com).2  This is an established, reliable source, and also provides a picture of the giant squid.  There is a video of a giant squid which was caught off of the Australian coast.  This squid was 36 feet long.  It can be seen by clicking here and then clicking play.3  This is from www.insidebayarea.com, which is a Californian news station.  The female giant squid shown below was missing most of its arms, but was an estimated 32 feet long and 440 pounds when alive (Maria Puente, USA Today).4 

 

 

Although there have been many findings which have measured the giant squid as being at least 30 feet, none have been found which lend any support to A.G. Starkey’s claim that during World War II he saw a giant squid which was as long as his ship, which was over 175 feet (trueauthority.com).5  Perhaps this is because the size was exaggerated, there was no squid at all, or it was a very rare squid that we haven’t yet discovered solid of. 

 

The evidence that has been sited on this page points to the fact that giant squid do, in fact, exist.  There is a constant effort to view a giant squid in its natural environment, but that has not been accomplished yet.  Until then, we will have to keep using clues that are discovered from the dead giant squid that are found washed up on shore and in fishing nets.

 

 

 

full length squid

 

 

Tank

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.  “Giant Squid.”  http://www.trueauthority.com/cryptozoology/squid.htm. 2002.

2.  “Sea Monster!” http://abcnews.go.com/sections/world/DailyNews/squid010207.html. 2001.

3.   http://insidebayarea.gallery.videoaxs.com/search/?q=squid

4.  Puente, Maria.  “Testing waters to learn more about giant squid.” http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~bz050/HomePage.usasquid.html.  1996.

5.  “Giant Squid.”  http://www.trueauthority.com/cryptozoology/squid.htm. 2002.