Tales of the Deep: The Giant Squid By Carter Madison

Have you ever wondered what swims in the deepest parts of the world's oceans? Well, we just got a better idea about one mysterious creature of the deep ocean: the giant squid.

Just recently a Japanese film crew managed to film a giant squid swimming in its natural habitat. They managed to lure it to their cameras with bait after many hours of waiting and searching two thousand feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean.

The giant squid is truly a giant. It can grow up to 50 feet in length, with tentacles making up most of this great length. For comparison, 50 feet is about as long as most school buses. Imagine meeting something the size of your school bus in the deep dark ocean and you might get an idea what it is like to meet a squid.

Over the centuries, many squid specimens have been found, but it's hard to get an idea of how the squid lives because it typically cruises in the deepest depths of the ocean. We know that the giant squid's main predator is the sperm whale. We know this because bits of giant squid have been found in the stomachs of sperm whales. We also know they feed on deep-sea fish and other squid. We know this because of all the giant squid that have washed ashore.

The giant squid lives in all of the world's oceans, though few are found in the tropics or the Arctic waters. As a result, stories of giant squid were told among sailors for hundreds of years. These sightings must have been frightening and may be the source for the legend of the Kraken, a sea monster reputed to be as large as an island and capable of eating an entire ship.

How were the Japanese scientists able to find a giant squid?

They waited, then lured it to the surface with bait.
They searched and waited, then lured it with bait.
They found a place with many squid, then waited.
They used equipment to locate a squid, then dove.