Last week, we were treated to the clearest video of what was claimed to be a giant squid near the surface from central Japan’s Toyama Bay. A brave diver jumped in to get up close and personal with the rarely seen 12 foot long animal. The video was undoubtedly real but some question remained. Deep Sea News has some answers.
The brave diver told CNN, “My curiosity was way bigger than fear, so I jumped into the water and go close to it.” The animal seemed lively but did not attack.
According to experts Dr. Mike Vecchione and Dr. Chris Mah from the Smithsonian, the individual filmed squid is actually an Architeuthis (pronounced Ark-eh-TOOTH-iss), specifically Architeuthis dux, likely a young one due to its smaller size. There are other species of squid that get very large such as the Colossal Squid but they look considerably different.
Architeuthis dux was named in 1857 based on remains. A. dux are considered to be the largest known cephalopod, the largest known mollusk and, likely, the largest invertebrate ever known to exist (noted up to 60 feet in length and possibly larger including the long tentacles). They also have the largest eye in the animal world. [Source].
The Deep Sea News piece mentions that it is not normal, but it has become a bit common, to see these squid near the surface. That’s not good. It likely means the animals are sick or injured. This individual remained in the bay for several hours and reportedly was then “ushered” back to open water. Perhaps it just took a wrong turn. There was no mention of obtaining any sample from the animal which would have been useful for additional genetic studies.
Giant squid are the stuff of myth, associated with the Kraken of sea-lore, and described far back, into the 4th century BC. Cryptozoologists claim that the discovery of the giant squid as being an actual distinct and real animal is validation of the field of cryptozoology, the search for “hidden” animals. But that statement is not quite so direct as given.
Remains of large squid were well documented. It was known that they were eaten by sperm whales because remains had been found inside their stomachs. Then, in 2004 and in 2012, the animals were filmed alive.
So, we have the legend of sightings of giant tentacled animals and attacks on ships from ancient times and we have a genuine animal that sort of fits that description. But, the equation does not balance on both sides. A large part of cryptozoology is founded in historical accounts. These are accounts we can likely no longer verify or examine in any greater detail. Many existing animals we know well today were greatly exaggerated or misinterpreted in days before scientific observation. We can’t say that all historic accounts of giant squid or kraken can be attributed to A. dux.
The giant squid is not even a good candidate for a cryptid. It was never really “hidden” it was just existing as it always did, in an alien environment off limits to human access. We needed to develop the means to find it with technology. The sea undoubtedly contains many more secrets. Yet, we have found and filmed these monsters. Naturally, these facts will lead to rational rejection of the idea that there are spectacular land-based cryptids such as Yeti and Bigfoot or mysterious lake-based cryptids like Nessie or Champ. We have even greater access to those environments but we have not found any remains or any good quality photo or video documentation. That negative evidence feeds a working conclusion that they do not exist in the imaginative forms proposed in cryptozoology literature.
The natural world is an amazing place full of unique organisms left to discover but that does not mean that Bigfoot is out there. Considering ever more information we have gleaned from giant creatures that exist deep in the ocean trenches, we have less justification to invest in a search for fantastic monster at the surface. If they are really there, we would have found sufficient traces by now or they, like this sub-adult Architeuthis, would have revealed themselves to us.