(ORDO NEWS) — On April 30, beachgoers in Kommetji, South Africa, saw a rare sight: the carcass of a giant squid glistening on the sand of Long Beach.
The size of the creature’s body, excluding the length of the tentacles, was about 2.2 meters, taking into account the tentacles, it would stretch up to 3.5 meters.
Giant squid are one of the most elusive animals on the planet. They live at a depth of the ocean from 300 to 1000 meters and only occasionally rise to the surface of the sea.
For centuries, the only information scientists had about these creatures came from the study of washed ashore carcasses or remains found in the stomachs of sperm whales – the first photographs of a live giant squid appeared after 2004, according to National Geographic.
Seeing a giant squid on a beach in South Africa is rare, though not unique, as a perfectly preserved baby giant squid washed up near Cape Town in 2020. Another adult specimen washed ashore in the same area in 1992 was just over 9 meters long.
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