Giant squid
| Giant squid | |
|---|---|
| Specimen of a giant squid that washed ashore in Trondheim, Norway being measured in 1954 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Cephalopoda |
| Order: | Oegopsida |
| Superfamily: | Architeuthoidea |
| Family: | Architeuthidae Pfeffer, 1900 |
| Genus: | Architeuthis Steenstrup in Harting, 1860 |
| Species: | A. dux |
| Binomial name | |
| Architeuthis dux Steenstrup, 1857 | |
| Worldwide giant squid distribution based on recovered specimens | |
| Synonyms | |
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The giant squid (Architeuthis dux) is a species of deep-ocean dwelling squid in the family Architeuthidae. It can grow to a tremendous size, offering an example of abyssal gigantism: recent estimates put the maximum body size at around 5 m (16 ft) for females, with males slightly shorter, from the posterior fins to the tip of its long arms. This makes it longer than the colossal squid at an estimated 4.2 m (14 ft), but substantially lighter, as it is less robust and its arms make up much of the length. The mantle of the giant squid is about 2 m (6 ft 7 in) long (longer for females, shorter for males), and the feeding tentacles of the giant squid, concealed in life, are 10 m (33 ft). Claims of specimens measuring 20 m (66 ft) or more have not been scientifically documented.
The number of different giant squid species has been debated, but genetic research suggests that only one species exists.
In 2004, a Japanese research team obtained the first images of a living animal in its habitat.