Giant 'Kraken' like squid found washed up on the shores of South Africa (PHOTOS)

A huge carcass of a giant squid (Architeuthis dux) was discovered washed up on the rocky shore of Scarborough beach in the Western Cape, South Africa, on Tuesday 16 August 2022. The creature, which measured just under 4.5 metres long, is the second representative of its species to be found on the South African coast this year, according to News24.

It's surprising, especially when considering that this legendary predator generally lives in icy waters, at depths of between 500 and 1,000 metres.

A gigantic 'Kraken' washed up in South Africa

'Although other large squids exist, I'm pretty sure this is a true giant squid,' confirmed Mike Vecchione, an invertebrate zoologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., as reported by LiveScience. The researcher explained that a thorough examination of the carcass of the cephalopod will have to be conducted to determine the cause of its death.

Dylan Clarke, a marine scientist and curator at the Iziko South African Museum shared:

It is possible that the squid ventured into shallow waters near the shore to feed and was struck by a ship's propeller, but this is difficult to prove without witnesses

The literature suggests that they ascend into shallower water because they exhibit a behaviour called daily vertical migration. In other words, they venture into shallower waters during the evening to feed and migrate to deeper waters during the day.

Still a very secretive species

By sifting through all the places where these animals have been stranded in the past, scientists have come to believe that giant squid can live in all the world's oceans. However, they are most commonly seen on the coasts of New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, as well as on the eastern and western sides of the North Atlantic, and on the South Atlantic, along the coast of Africa. Mike Vecchione confirmed:

Architeuthis strandings on the South African coast are not at all unusual. This is one of the many places in the world where they occur regularly.

After discovering the body of the stranded squid this week, local researchers collected tissue samples that will soon be examined at the heart of the Iziko South African Museum. This should help to learn a little more about the species. Dylan Clarke said:

The availability of information on giant squid is relatively low and is either based on dead or dying animals that have washed ashore or caught in commercial trawls

The other giant squid found this year in South Africa washed up about 10 kilometres northwest of Scarborough Beach on 30 April. The cephalopod was about 3.5 metres long.

This article was translated from Gentside FR.

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