Giant Squid Photographed

How can a creature this big be so elusive?
Scientists have been seeking to observe the giant squid in its habitat since the 19th Century. Two Japanese researchers, Tsunemi Kubodera and Kyoichi Mori, have succeeded where others have failed by capturing the creature on film. Their results were published today in the Proceedings of of the Royal Society:

The giant squid, Architeuthis, is one of the most mysterious creatures in the deep-sea. This is the first-ever successful attempt to observe a live giant squid in the wild. Not only do we provide the first live images of Architeuthis, but we have also reported the only data on the depth and behaviour of this species. The observed giant squid was estimated about 8 m in total length, and hunting at 900 m depth during the day. It attacked prey from a horizontal orientation with a pair of long tentacles and enveloped the prey within a coiled tentacular ball.

(Photo: The Royal Society)