WHAT IT IS A veritable monster from below the waves
WHY YOU WON’T DO IT For something so large, they are great at keeping a low profile
Giant squid first crop up in the writings of the ancient Greek Aristotle, and are believed to have inspired the kraken, the fearsome sea monster of Norse mythology. They have enchanted the minds of writers ever since, terrorizing sailors in Moby Dick and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea – but no one has yet managed to snare a live one.
If you encounter the giant squid (Latin name: Architeuthis dux) at close quarters, you’ll have little problem recognizing it. Specimens measure up to 13 metres (43 ft) from caudal fin to tentacle tip, and weigh up to several hundred kilograms. By the mid-2000s there were some 600 preserved specimens in institutions around the world.
The squid has some of the hugest eyes in the natural world, measuring 30 centimetres (12 in) across, to absorb the little light available in the depths of the ocean. Their strong, beak-like mouths can sever through metal cables, while suckers on their tentacles snare prey and pull it to its doom.
So why are these awesome invertebrates so elusive? The reason is that they spend virtually all of their lives in the deepest, darkest parts of the ocean, at depths between 300 and 1,000 metres (1,000–3,300 ft). There are thought to be sizeable populations in all the world’s oceans. In the 19th century, particularly large numbers of squid were washed ashore around Newfoundland and New Zealand. Fairly regular sightings continue in both of these locations, as well as around the coast of Australia, the northern British Isles, Japan, Norway, Spain and Southern Africa. If you’re determined to land yourself one, your geographical location is among the least of your problems.
Some would suggest that your best bet is to find a nice spot on a beach in one of the areas above and wait for the tide to bring a carcass ashore. This method, however, demonstrates a singular lack of spirit. Furthermore, washed-up specimens are usually in a pretty unpleasant state.
So assuming you want to catch a live one, you might attract its attention of by sailing around in a tanker. It’s not known whether the squid mistakes tankers for an enemy or a potential supper dish, but there are records of one Norwegian tanker that was attacked on three separate occasions in the 1930s.
The giant squid’s main predator is the sperm whale, and much of our knowledge about the species comes from remains found in the bellies of these whales. In your quest for a specimen, you could do much worse than to follow a sperm whale to its feeding ground. This is a tactic that has been long used by scientists studying the squid, including the Japanese team that captured the first image of a live giant squid in its natural habitat in September 2004. They attached cameras to a line baited with the squid’s favourite snacks, shrimp and smaller squid species.
But be warned, if your principal motivation is to eat the giant squid, you might want to think twice. Needless to say, it’s been tried, but apparently they are something of an acquired taste, not entirely dissimilar to salty liquorice. If that does tickle your taste buds, then you’ll certainly be able to cook up a hell of a big paella.
If you eventually admit defeat in your quest, you could at least arrange a tour to see Archie, a preserved specimen at London’s Natural History Museum. At just short of 9 metres (30 ft) long, he was caught in 2004 near the Falkland Islands, off the South Atlantic coast of Argentina. He is rare for being an almost complete example of the species, and something of a whopper – after being packed in ice for the trip to London, he took some four days to defrost.
CALAMARI FEAST Although still growing up to around 13 metres (43 ft) long, the reality of the giant squid does not quite live up to the monstrous shipwreckers of old seafarers’ stories. Sadly once out of their natural marine environment, the creatures lose their ruddy colour and start to look like little more than outsized seafood.
