Almost everything people know about giant squid comes from specimens washed up on beaches. Sometimes their tentacles or arms have fallen off, or have been eaten by other animals while afloat in the ocean. read more
In particular, Paxton focused on a massive giant squid that washed ashore on New Zealand’s Lyall Bay in 1879, reportedly with a mantle more than nine feet (2.7 meters) long, among the largest ever recorded. read more
The giant squid is a marine invertebrate which belongs to the family Architeuthidae. The colossal squid is also known as the Antarctic or giant cranch squid. It is the only species of squid that belongs to the genus of Mesonychoteuthis. The colossal squid is bigger than the giant squid. read more
Colossal squid are believed to have longer mantles than the giant squid, but shorter tentacles. The squid exhibits abyssal gigantism. The beak of M. hamiltoni is the largest known of any squid, and more robust than that of the giant squid. read more