giant squid
Massive tentacled mollusk
A giant squid is an enormous deep-sea cephalopod, among the largest invertebrates on Earth, with eyes the size of dinner plates and tentacles that can exceed thirty feet.
Rarely seen alive, giant squid were long considered mythological—the likely source of kraken legends.
Scientists finally filmed a giant squid in its natural habitat in 2012.
Flexible grasping appendages
- suckersEasily fooled people
- beakHorny avian mouthpart
- mantleCovering or wrap
- siphonLiquid transfer tube
ink · mollusk · invertebrate · clubs · arms · jet propulsion · chromatophores · gladius
Giant squid of legend
- sea monsterMythic ocean beast
- LeviathanScriptural marine serpent
- sailorsMaritime vessel crew members
- marinersThose who work ships
shipwreck · Norse · Scandinavian · folklore · legend · tales · sagas · fearsome
Extremely deep, unmeasurable
- mesopelagicMid-depth ocean layer
- bioluminescenceOrganism-generated light emission
- pressureForce upon contact
- darknessTotal absence of light
submersible · sonar · trench · depth · ocean · habitat · cold · sperm whale
Hard to find
- rareSeldom found or seen
- sightingsWitnessed occurrences
- specimenIndividual for examination
- carcassSlaughtered animal's body
beached · stranded · documented · photographed · captured · verified · evidence · encounter
Extremely large in scale
- massiveExtremely large and heavy
- recordPreserved account or achievement
- measurementDetermining size or amount
- specimenIndividual for examination
meters · feet · weight · tonnage · proportions · scale · comparison · longest
tentacles
Flexible grasping appendages
siphon · ink · mollusk · invertebrate · clubs · arms · jet propulsion · chromatophores · gladius · ammonia
kraken
Giant squid of legend
- sea monsterMythic ocean beast
- LeviathanScriptural marine serpent
- sailorsMaritime vessel crew members
mariners · shipwreck · Norse · Scandinavian · folklore · legend · tales · sagas · fearsome · beast
abyssal
Extremely deep, unmeasurable
- mesopelagicMid-depth ocean layer
- bioluminescenceOrganism-generated light emission
- pressureForce upon contact
darkness · submersible · sonar · trench · depth · ocean · habitat · cold · sperm whale · prey
elusive
Hard to find
carcass · beached · stranded · documented · photographed · captured · verified · evidence · encounter · discovery
enormous
Extremely large in scale
- massiveExtremely large and heavy
- recordPreserved account or achievement
- measurementDetermining size or amount
specimen · meters · feet · weight · tonnage · proportions · scale · comparison · longest · heaviest
- deep-sea creaturesanglerfish, viperfish, lanternfish, dragonfish, blobfish
- octopus loretentacles, eight arms, camouflage, kraken, deep sea
- ocean lifeocean, sea, sea creatures, shark, sea life
- invertebratesinvertebrate, arthropod, arthropods, mollusk, crustacean
- aquatic predatorsshark, great white shark, great white, tiger shark, bull shark
- largest organismsblue whale, redwood, African elephant, whale shark, humpback whale