Invertebrate · Carnivore · Marine
Giant squid
Architeuthis dux
The giant squid is a deep-ocean cephalopod known mainly from carcasses and rare live observations. Two elongated feeding tentacles plus eight arms capture prey in darkness.
Interactive model
Characteristics
- 8–13 m (adult)
- ≈ 26.2–42.7 ft (adult)
- 200–275 kg (adult)
- ≈ 440.9–606.3 lb (adult)
- 3–5 years
- ≈ 3–5 years
Including tentacles; mantle is much shorter.
Scale
Bars are proportional to a linear dimension (height or length). They are not mass. Human reference is 1.7 m.
- Giant squid10.5 m
- Average adult human1.7 m
- Double-decker bus4.4 m
- Two-storey house8 m
Activity: Cathemeral
Taxonomy
Life stages
Paralarva
Little is documented; presumed planktonic start.
Adult
Solitary deep-water hunter preyed upon by sperm whales.
Adaptations
Huge eyes
Among the largest eyes in the animal kingdom, likely for detecting silhouettes or bioluminescence in dim water.
Behaviour
Uses feeding tentacles to strike at fishes and other squid.
Habitat and range
- Global ocean (native)
Conservation
Least Concern
Population trend: Unknown
Assessment year 2014 (curated, not live).
- Poorly known; deep-sea change may matter
Source: Architeuthis dux. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Compare
Sources
- Architeuthis dux. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — conservation
- Architeuthis dux on Animal Diversity Web or equivalent secondary literature — measurement
- Architeuthis dux on Animal Diversity Web or equivalent secondary literature — text
Photograph: NTNU Vitenskapsmuseet, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY