Suddenly discovered a giant squid weighing 200kg washed ashore

The giant dead squid of unknown cause is being preserved by experts at the museum and awaiting surgery. 

Adéle Grosse and some seafarers encountered a giant 200kg and 4.3m-long corpse that washed ashore into Britannia Bay, South Africa, the Daily Star  reported. The body is intact with a conical body, big eyes and long tentacles. Its mouth is located in the cluster of tentacles, which are used to devour small fish and squid living in the deep sea.

The giant corpse is intact on the sand. (Photo: Adéle Grosse).

The Iziko South Africa Museum quickly received a notice of the corpse and brought it to storage. "It's amazing to see it live. There are so many people interested and surprised to see that giant squid really exists , " said Wayne Florence, curator of invertebrates at the museum. .

Experts do not know why the giant ink died. "We can only determine the cause of death during squid surgery. We will do this after the end of the blockade issued by Covid-19. The condition of the specimen is very good so we have can eliminate some possibilities, such as mesh injuries , " Florence said.

The scientists placed giant squid in a freezer, completed preliminary measurements and took tissue samples for DNA analysis. An ink specialist will anatomize it to record information. The corpse will then be photographed and preserved with Ethanol for long-term storage. The museum is also considering exhibiting this specimen at an upcoming exhibition.  

Giant squid (Architeuthidae) can be up to 13 meters long. They are said to be the inspiration for the ancients to create the mythical kraken sea monster. Scientists rarely observe giant squid. They first photographed the giant squid swimming in 2004 and filmed the creature in 2006.