Giant squid ‘monster’ over 3.5 meters long washed up on South African beach

05/05/2022 10:03 GMT+7

Beachgoers in Kommetjie, South Africa caught a rare sight on the sands of Long Beach. It was the carcass of a giant squid.

Giant squid ‘monster’ over 3.5 meters long washed up on South African beach

Alison Paulus, a Cape Town resident and founder of a wildlife conservation organization, said: “It’s unbelievable. The body alone is about 2.2 meters long, plus the tentacles, I’m sure it will stretch to 3.5 meters”.

Ever since stories of the giant squid first circulated in Norse mythology, the creature has created an attraction for many seafarers.

The giant squid is one of the largest invertebrates on Earth. Despite their huge size, they do not become easy to detect for that reason. They are one of the most elusive animals on the planet because they usually live at depths of 300 to 1,000 meters and rarely come to the surface.

The saucer-sized eyes were among the largest of any living creature, allowing the giant squid to see through the dark water.

For centuries, the only information scientists had about these creatures came from studying the washed-up carcasses or stomach remnants of sperm whales, their natural enemies. giant squid. It wasn’t until 2004 that humans first observed this giant squid while alive.

The South African squid washed up at night after being injured, possibly from a collision with a commercial or fishing boat. Alison Paulus said: ‘We saw a long crack above the tentacles, we guessed it was due to impact with the boat’s propeller.

Wildlife experts conducting investigations revealed that this was a female giant squid.

“My guess is that the squid was hit by the ship while it was at sea,” said Jon Friedman, a wildlife expert at the SPCA Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Friedman estimates the squid was about two years old when it died. Giant squid can live up to 5 years and reach a length of 13 meters.

By the time SPCA experts arrived on the scene, local fishermen had already removed the squid’s eyes and tentacles. Much of what is left of the giant squid is chopped up and thrown back into the sea. Previously, experts had sent some tissue samples to Cape Town’s South African Iziko Museum for DNA analysis.

The museum now houses the remains of 19 other giant squids. Alison Paulus is disappointed that she cannot return the intact squid carcass to the museum, but she is very emotional and feels lucky to see the squid in its entirety. “I have two young sons who love wildlife, so we came down here as soon as we heard the news to see it with our own eyes,” she said.

Hoang Dung (synopsis)