A lucky group of tourists encountered a giant squid carcass washed ashore with several bite marks on its body at a beach in Golden Bay.
Giant squid carcass measuring 4m. (Photo: Anton Donaldson)
Anton Donaldson, a guide from Farewell Spit Tours, was alerted by a colleague about a giant squid washed up on the sandy shore at Farewell Spit in Golden Bay, New Zealand, as reported by Newsweek on September 12. When Donaldson and his group arrived, they found the 4-meter-long squid lying on the sand.
“For most people, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Giant squids are very rare on any beach, so you need to be there at the right moment because organic matter doesn’t last forever,” Donaldson shared. According to him, the squid had bite marks, likely caused by other marine creatures such as small sharks.
The giant squid is the second-largest mollusk in the world, only surpassed by the colossal squid, which can grow up to 13 meters long. Researchers believe they are found globally but are rarely seen alive. Giant squids inhabit depths of about 305 to 1,000 meters. The only time a giant squid has been filmed was in 2006 off the coast of the Ogasawara Islands in Japan. According to the Two Oceans Aquarium in South Africa, there have been 677 recorded encounters with giant squids.
This species has the largest eyes in the animal kingdom, comparable in size to a dinner plate with a diameter of 25 cm, according to National Geographic. Researchers believe that giant squids evolved such large eyes to detect bioluminescent light from prey in the darkness at depths of hundreds of meters. They are common prey for sperm whales; additionally, squid carcasses have been found in the stomachs of pilot whales, southern sleeper sharks, and orcas.
