Giant squid Facts

About the giant squid

Architeuthis dux lives far down in the ocean and is a classic case of abyssal gigantism, growing to enormous size in the deep. Recent estimates put big females at around 5 m (16 ft) from the rear fins to the ends of the long arms, with males a little shorter. The feeding tentacles, kept out of sight in life, stretch 10 m (33 ft).

That length beats the colossal squid, estimated at 4.2 m (14 ft), but the giant squid weighs far less, since its arms account for so much of its size and its build is lighter. Tales of 20 m (66 ft) specimens have never been confirmed by scientists. Researchers once argued over how many giant squid species exist, and genetic studies now suggest there is only one. In 2004, a team from Japan took the first pictures of a living giant squid in its natural habitat.

Did you know?

• Scientists place the giant squid in the squid family Architeuthidae.
• The mantle of a giant squid measures roughly 2 m (6 ft 7 in), with females' running longer.
• The IUCN rates the giant squid as Least Concern.