A rare giant squid was found washed up on the El Sablón beach, Llanes, in northern Spain on Friday, a local outlet reported.
These creatures of the deep, inspiration for the fearsome mythical tentacled sea creature Kraken, rarely make an appearance—the first footage of one was only captured just over a decade ago, and few specimens have ever been found, dead or alive.
The monstrous squid, which measured about 32 feet in length, belongs to the Architeuthis Dux species, the largest of the living invertebrates on our planet.
The Cantabrian Sea on the north coast of Spain is one of the few places where these giant squids, which can grow up to 43 feet in length, are known to reside, making it of special scientific interest to anyone studying the elusive species.
"This genus has a pronounced sexual dimorphism. The maximum weight is estimated at 312 kilograms [nearly 690 pounds] for females and 178 for males," Luis Laria, president of the coordinating committee for the study and protection of marine species (CEPESMA), told Sur in English on Tuesday.
Newsweek contacted Laria on Facebook for further comment on the findings. Pictures of the squid can be seen here.
"Males have a shorter life span than females and mature sexually earlier, with males estimated to live around one year and females double or triple that," he said.
Giant squids, while actually harmless to humans, can't be eaten like their smaller cousins. That's because their muscle mass has a high percentage of ammonia, which is toxic, Laria said.
CEPESMA operates a museum of giant squid further west along the coast, where it preserves and studies washed up specimens.
As for this squid, its fate is yet to be decided. Environmental technicians from the Principality of Asturias removed the body soon after it was found, and whether or not it is to be transferred to CEPESMA will be determined over the coming days, Spanish news channel Antena 3 Noticias reported.
Giant squid live deep beneath the ocean surface, often at thousands of feet down when almost no light from above penetrates. They hunt for food using two longer feeding tentacles that help them bring food into their beak-like mouth, according to National Geographic.
From what we know, their diet consists of fish, shrimp and other squid. Some suggest that they may even be capable of taking down and eating small whales.
The eyes of a giant squid are the largest in the animal kingdom, measuring 10 inches in diameter. This massive organ allows them to detect objects and prey in a world where we would struggle to see our hands in front of us.
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