Giant Squid Spotted in Deep Waters, the First Ever Spotted in U.S. Waters!

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Written by Hannah Crawford

Updated: November 10, 2023

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Giant Squid, Black Background, Calamari, Squid, Tentacle
© iStock.com/3dsam79

One of life’s greatest mysteries is about to be revealed to a team of scientists out in the U.S. waters. Not necessarily looking for anything in particular, Dr. Nathan Robinson and Dr. Edie Widder capture amazing footage that has only now been filmed twice. 

The “Medusa” Deep-Sea Camera Captures Something Amazing

OceanX reports that Dr. Robinson and Dr. Widder came across the amazing sighting of a giant squid in the depths of the ocean in 2019. The only other time a giant squid has been filmed in the wild was in Japan in 2012. 

Robinson and Widder share that they deployed a deep-sea camera that is referred to as the “Medusa” that is able to operate in great depths. As most scientists go, their desire is to discover things that have never been discovered before or to find interesting footage they can document and study. 

Giant squid found in the ocean

Giant squids are usually found in ocean waters around

Newfoundland

, Norway, the British Isles, the Azores, Madeira, Japan, New Zealand, and Australia.

©Shiva N hegde/Shutterstock.com

And they were in for a big surprise! After spending hours reviewing the video footage that the Medusa captured, Robinson all of a sudden sees a giant squid cross his camera. Elated, he starts to wave his arms in excitement, and the other scientists on the boat quickly come join him! 

As they are all mesmerized by this footage, they suddenly hear a loud bang coming from outside. They all rushed out to see that lighting had struck their boat! Lighting hit their long-range radio antenna, and it exploded. Quickly, they hurry back in to ensure their electronics are safe. And while other laptops were fried, the laptop with the giant quid footage was still viable. 

Has a Giant Squid Ever Been Found Alive?

The giant squid is a species of deep-ocean dwelling squid in the family Architeuthidae. The giant squid in deep ocean.

The giant squid has eight arms and two tentacles.

©InnovationWorld/Shutterstock.com

The answer to this question seems quite obvious as we have video proof shown below of a giant squid found in U.S. waters. However, it is important to note that finding a giant squid is truly an amazing thing. As we said above, the only other time a giant squid has been filmed was once in Japan, only a few years prior to this current footage.

So, as we can imagine, the information we do have on giant squids is not much, as documentation on them is slim.

What has been researched is that the giant squid, Architeuthidae, is anywhere from 40-50 feet long and weighs up to 660 pounds. Hence the name giant squid fits it perfectly.

Take in this beautiful sight of this giant squid below!

Is It Normal to Witness Giant Squid?

Giant squids were the stuff of fantasies until their existence was proven in the mid-1800s.

©Charles Bévalet. / Public Domain – Original / License

It is not normal for humans to encounter giant squids. In fact, it’s so rare that in early times, giant squids were seen as mythical beasts associated with the Nordic kraken. It wasn’t until 1857 that enough proof from found carcasses was available to warrant the animal being formerly named–Architeuthis dux. Then in 1861, a live squid sighting was reported by crew members aboard a French ship sailing by the Canary Islands. This sighting is thought to have inspired Jules Verne to write Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.

From that time on, there have been giant squids spotted in the waters around Newfoundland, Norway, the British Isles, the Azores, Madeira, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, and elsewhere, either alive or having been washed ashore on beaches. The latest recorded number of giant squid sightings from the mid-1800s to 2015 is around 700.


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About the Author

Hannah Crawford is a writer at A-Z Animals where she focuses on reptiles, mammals, and locations in Africa. Hannah has been researching and writing about animals and various countries for over eight years. She holds a Bachelors Degree in Communication\Performance Studies from Pensacola Christian College, which she earned in 2015. Hannah is a resident in Florida, and enjoys theatre, poetry, and growing her fish tank.

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