Thanks to its long tentacles and mysterious behavior, the giant squid has become one of the most mysterious creatures of the ocean depths. It is very rare to encounter living specimens in nature, but their numbers have increased recently due to advancement in deep-sea research technology.

These squids belong to the genus Magnapinna, which means “big fin” in Latin. There are only three described species of this genus – M. atlantica, M. pacifica, and M. talismani – but there are likely many more in the oceans that have yet to be discovered.

Their large heart-shaped fins on their heads help them navigate the ocean. Additionally, they are distinguished by long, spindle-shaped tentacles that can hang several meters from the body. The total length of the largest known bigfin squid reached 6.4 meters and its tentacles reached 6.1 meters. Great-finned squid lives in all oceans of the world, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, but only at great depths. They have been recorded at depths of up to 6,212 metres, making them the deepest known squid species.

The first mentions of the greatfin squid date back centuries. One of the first documented cases of these creatures occurred in 1883, when one washed ashore in the Azores. However, the genus Magnapinnidae was officially described only in 1998, when scientists discovered two dead juvenile specimens.

It is thought that the first video of the giant fin squid was shot in the Gulf of Mexico in 2000. Since then, scientists have made about 20 observations of living giant squid, but many aspects of their lives remain a mystery.

An interesting fact is that scientists have never observed how large a fish the finned squid feeds on, so their hunting methods and diet are unknown. Their thin and, at first glance, dysfunctional tentacles raise the question of how they can catch their prey. Despite numerous video recordings of adults, physical samples were obtained only from juvenile squid. This limits our understanding of their life cycle and development.

The extent of their prevalence also remains a mystery. Are greatfin squid truly rare, or is their relative unobservance a reflection of our limited survey of the world’s oceans? Researchers conclude that the giant squid remains one of the deep-sea world’s most fascinating mysteries, waiting to be uncovered through further scientific research. Source