Giant squid: Learn about the giant squid

Learn about the giant squid , a deep-sea dwelling cephalopod that can grow up to 13 m long and has the largest eyes of any living creature. Discover its appearance, behavior, ecology, and cultural significance in this comprehensive article. The giant squid is widespread across all oceans, particularly in the North and South Atlantic, and southwestern Pacific ocean. Like all squid , a giant squid has a mantle (torso), eight arms, and two longer tentacles. The giant squid is one of the largest invertebrates on earth. Despite this, it remained undocumented other than from remains inside the stomachs of the largest predator on earth: the sperm whale. In 2013, footage of a live animal was finally captured, and scientists are slowly ... The giant squid is morphologically similar to smaller squid species, possessing a head, a mantle, and other features associated with cephalopods. It is characterized by the presence of two large fins attached to its mantle, eight arms, and two long tentacles. Giant squid have small fins at the rear of their mantles used for locomotion. Like other cephalopods, they move through jet propulsion—by pulling water into the mantle cavity, and pushing it through the siphon, in gentle, rhythmic pulses.