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The mysterious giant squid has rarely ever been seen by humans, let alone photographed or filmed swimming in its natural habitat. Most of what we know about giant squids has come from fishermen finding them dead floating on the water. Until recently, scientists had only filmed a living giant squid in the wild twice—once off the Ogasawara Islands in Japan and once in the Gulf of Mexico. However, as of April 2025, additional footage of giant squid and even the first confirmed footage of a colossal squid in the wild have been captured, indicating that such sightings are becoming more frequent with advances in deep-sea exploration technology.
It’s believed that the myth of the Kraken came from sightings of giant squids.
©Charles Bévalet. / Public Domain – Original / License
What is a Giant Squid?
The largest giant squid recorded by scientists was nearly 43 feet long and weighed about one ton. Giant squid are cephalopods. Like other squid and octopuses, they have a beak, eight arms, two eyes, and a siphon (funnel). They also have two suckered feeding tentacles. They use these to shoot out and capture prey up to 33 feet away. A giant squid’s eyes are massive and can measure 10 inches in diameter. Scientists think their large eyes allow them to see in dark depths where barely any light comes through.
Scientists believe that, like other squids, the giant squid can release ink as a defensive measure to flee from threats. However, nobody has ever seen this in action in the wild. Scientists don’t even know if the giant squid is one species in the genus Architeuthis, or if there are more species. (Some scientists believe there are up to eight different giant squid species.)
Although giant squids are not rare or uncommon in the ocean, it’s incredibly unusual to view one swimming in its habitat.
Where Do Giant Squids Live?
Despite their massive size, giant squid are hardly ever seen alive by humans. They are mainly found washed ashore after they have died. You may be wondering how such a large creature can remain so elusive. It’s because the giant squid lives deep in the ocean at around 1,000 to 2,000 feet below the surface. This area of the ocean is known as the Twilight Zone because very little light reaches these depths.
Scientists think giant squid swim in the ocean around the world, although there probably aren’t many in tropical locations or the Arctic. We know where they live based on where they are found washed up on shores. Giant squids aren’t often found washed ashore in polar or tropical regions. They are most often found along the coastlines of the Atlantic Ocean and the southern coast of Africa.
The Giant Squid Has Not Been Filmed a Lot
Previously, scientists had only captured video footage of a giant squid swimming in the ocean depths twice—first in 2012 off the coast of Japan and then in 2019 in the Gulf of Mexico. However, as of April 2025, additional footage of giant squids and even the first confirmed video of a colossal squid in the wild have been obtained. During the 2019 expedition, Dr. Nathan Robinson and Dr. Edie Widder were on a NOAA-funded expedition to explore the depths of the ocean. They were investigating organisms that live below 3,280 feet (known as the midnight zone of the ocean). Even deeper than the ocean’s twilight zone, sea creatures here make their own light as the sun never reaches the depths.
A video on the OceanX YouTube channel shows how the researchers obtained their footage and the close call they nearly had to losing it. The team was reviewing footage they had captured with a deep-sea camera. This specialized camera is used for viewing sea life at great depths without disturbing the animals because it uses red light, which many sea creatures can’t see. The camera also has a jellyfish lure, which is meant to attract large predators.
Scientists spotted a giant squid swimming in the deep ocean off the coast of New Orleans.
©OceanX / YouTube – Original
As the scientists watched the playback from the deep-sea camera, they spotted the giant squid swimming into view at 2,490 feet below the surface. The squid appeared to be about 10 to 12 feet long. While the scientists and crew were excitedly viewing the footage for the first time, lightning from a nearby storm hit their boat, frying a laptop. They had not even backed up the video yet and risked losing the entire thing. Fortunately, one laptop was fine, and the footage was saved.
What Does the Video of Giant Squid in Their Natural Habitat Tell Scientists?
Since researchers have mainly learned about the giant squid by studying dead specimens, watching one in action tells them a lot about the behavior of the mysterious creature.
Because the squid was attracted to the camera, scientists theorize that it saw the jellyfish lure, meaning it’s a visual predator. Dr. Widder explained in a statement, “In the video, we could clearly see that it was visually tracking the electronic jellyfish, which was very exciting to be able to observe.”
Scientists also discovered that giant squids don’t wait passively for food to drift near them, but actively hunt their prey.
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