• Home
• /
• World

Monster squid three times a man's size washes up ashore

Giant squids are so rare that a live one wasn't captured on video until 2004.

A rare giant squid washed ashore on a beach along the south coast of Wellington in New Zealand, was spotted first by three brothers who went out for a morning swim. Before the 4.2 meter long was collected by scientists for analysis, the brothers took a few pictures and posted them to the Ocean Hunter Spearfishing and Freediving Specialists Facebook page.
The photos amassed over 6,800 shares and show one of the brothers laying next to the giant squid. "My brother said 'what's that over there?' and pointed it out," Metro.uk quoted Daniel Aplin as saying in New Zealand Herald. He added, "It was right next to the track so we pulled over and we were like: 'It's a big squid'. It was pretty clean, nothing major on it."

New Zealand's Department of Conservation confirmed that the creature was a giant squid which is the largest known cephalopod in the world and, likely, the largest invertebrate ever known to exist. Giant squids can range from three to nine meters in length and are so rare that a live one wasn't captured on video until 2004.

Marine scientists have also speculated on the existence of a species of squid called a 'colossal squid' that could measure up to 14 meters and live in the freezing waters around Antarctica. The giant squid discovered by the three brothers is currently with New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research for its examination.