Giant squids have long been the domain of fairytales and fishermen legends, but scientists have known they exist from specimens that wash up on beaches or found inside giant sperm whales, the only thing that is known to prey on them. No giant squid had ever been observed in its natural habitat, let alone filmed in the process, which is why footage captured by the Discovery Channel along with NHK, the Japanese public broadcaster, is so thrilling to scientists.
But, while Discovery has boasted about the footage, it's saving it for one of its shows coming up soon. Some footage did manage to find its way online though.
The team of scientists spent hundreds of hours trying to lure out a giant squid so they can film it. The squid are scared of light and noises, so the submersible had to operate in near silence and the only light used was a near infrared spot.
A smaller squid was used as bait, but it was
all worth it in the end as one giant squid specimen made its appearance. It was only a baby, at more than 3 meters or 10 feet long, as adults can grow to 13 meters or 43 feet.
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