When a squid comes to mind, the average human would think of a creature small in size, with tentacles covered in suckers. When I think of a squid however, I think of something more massive in size, the giant squid.

The earth is made primarily of water, a majority of which has been undiscovered. Periodically, newer and newer species of fish are found as we go into undiscovered areas. If I were an explorer of the deep, animals which I would hate to encounter include whales, sharks, or anything large in size.

In particular, I would not like to see the giant squid. There have been many different accounts of encounters with this behemoth; some rather benign while others deadly. Though it remains a mystery how large these monsters can grow, it is not unknown how aggressive they can be. During the summer, I spent many days watching television, in part “Animal Planet.” I remember a show that premiered talking primarily about squid attacks called “Man Eating Super Squid.” In a particular segment of this show, a man recounts a time that he went diving and was attacked by multiple squids. They attacked him, pulling at the diver’s arms and dislocating his shoulder. Also, a feature about squids that most people don’t know is that they have beaks which are razor sharp and have an enormous power. After being mauled by the squids, the man made it back to safety but had to be treated. In this specific account, the squids were of the average size and they still almost killed the diver. It is not certain how large squids can get but there have been many accounts of squids the size of a school bus.

Giant squid

It is not a myth that squids are aggressive, especially when it comes to human interaction. It also isn’t a myth that squids can grow to very large sizes. But how large can a squid get? Also, with such vast bodies of water that haven’t been explored, what other monsters dwell beneath?