Giant squid caught off Tasmanian coast
A fisherman’s trawler has hauled in a giant squid off the west coast of Tasmania that was almost three metres long and weighed in at over 80 kilograms.
Empress Pearl skipper Alec Harvey said the massive creature was the biggest squid he had ever seen, according to The South East Trawl Fishing Industry Association (SETFIA) website.
According to the association, the squid is likely to be an Architeuthis dux, otherwise known, quite literally, as Giant Squid.
The Melbourne Museum’s Dr Julian Finn told SETFIA that Alec Harvey’s catch was actually quite small for the species, which can come in at up to 14 metres long.
The Giant Squid has the largest eyes of any living creature, at up to 27 centimetres in diameter, and uses dark ink squirted into water to deter predators.
