On Christmas Eve, a large squid performed a stunning show in front of a crowd of Japanese observers. A four-metre long giant squid (genus Architeuthis), is an uncommon deep-ocean dwelling squid from the Architeuthidae family. As far as giant squids go, the one that was seen by Japanese observers wasn’t very large. From the tips of their long tentacles and the back fins, females can grow up to 13 meters (43 ft. One ton can be their maximum weight. They can weigh up to one ton. The squids are filmed close to the shores of Honshu in Japan’s Toyama Bay. Christopher Mah, a Marine biologist shared this photo of the huge squid via Twitter. It is Architeuthis, he isn’t sure. (Image: twitter.com/echinoblog) Toyama Bay is famous for its incredible firefly squid (Watasenia scintillans), also called the sparkling enope squid, which gather in the region to spawn, and glow an iridescent blue. Humans rarely see this giant squid alive, as it is not only a different species of animal. These deep-ocean dwellers are rarely seen by humans. They are usually found floating in the ocean or washed up on beaches. NHK NewsWeb Japan’s reporter, Kimura Nobuaki, was at the Toyama Bay Pier on Christmas Eve when he witnessed the huge squid swim between large vessels nearby. Kimura Nobuaki from NHK NewsWeb said that a giant squid grabbed his arm as he tried to let it go. It clung tightly to my arm as I tried to release it from the harbour. Giant squid usually only come to the surface when they’re sick or happy. Toyama authorities stated that they do not plan to capture the squid and recommend it be allowed to swim off. Artist’s impression showing a huge squid found washed up on the beaches of Trinity Bay in Newfoundland in 1877. Image: Wikipedia. Folklore is filled with stories of giant squid monsters eating humans and pulling down boats. Legendary sea monster, the Kraken, is believed to have lived off Greenland’s coasts. Recent studies have shown that giant squid eat deep-sea and other species of squid. Two tentacles are used to grab prey, and they hold it in place with sucker rings. The radula is a small tongue with file-like teeth that it uses to sever its prey. They are considered solitary hunter by Zoologists. There are very few predators they need to be afraid of. They are often eaten by sperm whales, but sometimes pilot whales as well. Deep-sea sharks sometimes take smaller juveniles to the deep sea. Because sperm whales are adept at finding giant squids and locating them, scientists follow them when they want to study the species. Video: Giant squid seen near Japan’s coast
