We already know octopuses are very intelligent (about as smart as a 7 year old child), and it's likely squid aren't as far behind them as we once thought. Like all animals, there is more and more evidence pointing to squid being more intelligent than we thought. Time for another highly scientific diagram! 15. This is pretty similar to how jet engines work (just squishier), and can propel squid at an impressive 2 metres a second. Basically they suck water into their heads and then blast it out the back, which pushes them through the water. You can see how squid move in the video above. It took a long time to get any footage of giant squid. The kraken, sea serpents, Cthulu all probably have their roots in giant squid sightings. There's something amazing about these mysterious sea creatures, so it's no surprise that they've inspired seafaring myths and legends. Giant squid have inspired lots of stories This is a great deal for both the squid - who gets to eat the fish - and the jellyfish, who lives to glow another day. But the fish that eat jellyfish are definitely worth eating! Some jellyfish can light up (this is called bioluminescence) and they've worked out that if they flash when they're being attacked by fish, it can attract nearby giant squid to scare off their attackers. Jellyfish are small fry for a giant squid. This means they need to chew their food properly, because a sharp bit of fish bone could cause brain damage. Check out this very scientific diagram to see for yourself. Ok this is a weird one, at least for us shaved human apes! Squid brains are donut shaped, and their throats run through the hole in the middle.

Weirder things have happened! | giphy 10. But other scientists think it's more likely that they just accidentally eat bits of themselves sometimes. Which you think would be clear evidence for them being cannibals. Scientists looking in the stomachs of giant squid have found. Lots of cephalopods (like octopus or other types of squid) can do this too! 9. Fun fact - squid beaks look a bit like parrot beaks, but surrounded with muscle! 8. In fact, they're razor sharp - and it's the beak that allows the squid to chop and slice up it's prey. These are very clever body parts, and are the only part of the squid that's hard. Like all squid, giant squid have beaks instead of teeth. Unsurprisingly giant squid aren't the easiest snack, and sperm whales have been found with wounds on their faces that were probably caused by giant squid going down fighting! 7. Their massive size doen't mean they're invincible, and giant squid are often on the menu for sperm whales. Giant squid eat fish, shrimp, other squid - and they might even eat small whales! A much, much smaller squid out hunting 6. Giant squid use their eyes to hunt their prey, and these squishy assassins won't turn down anything. Giant eyes for giant squidīoth giant and colossal squid have the biggest eyes in the animal kingdom - up to 25cm across, so about the size of a frisbee! The reason they have such big eyes is to help them see in the pitch black of the deep, deep ocean. The only information we have has come from body parts found in the stomachs of whales! 4. Again, because of their secretive habits it's really hard to say for sure. If it really is this big, this makes it the heaviest invertebrate in the world (that's an animal with no spine). It's a little bit shorter, but even heavier - and could way up to 700kgs. The colossal squid is a totally different animal to the giant squid. Most of what we know comes from finding dead ones washed up on the beach! 3.

We've almost never seen them in the wild. This is because they live in the depths of the ocean, far from any humans.

Giant squid are very mysterious and there's a lot we still don't know about them. Giant squid can reach 13 metres long - that's longer than a double decker bus! And these are only the giant squid that scientists have caught and measured - sailors have claimed they've seen 18 metre long squid! These gigantic animals are so secretive we might never know how big they really get. These giant squid fun facts are seriously tenta-cool! Looking for more content from the briny deep? We've got these amazing octopus facts, this claw-some crab quiz, or click here to find out what sea creature is most like you!Īlright, back to these mysterious alien-looking deep-sea cephalopods! (Now theres a sentence you don't read every day!)

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