As if the oceans weren’t terrifying enough, this giant squid washed onto shore in South Africa as a reminder of how scary the deep waters are. Passers-by couldn’t believe their eyes when they came across this colossus along the shoreline.
Giant of the Deep
On June 7, this giant squid washed ashore on a South African beach, amazing beachgoers. The squid measured in at 14 feet long and was estimated to weigh between 440 and 660 pounds. There have only been a handful of giant squids to wash up on our shores, and the one from South Africa isn’t thought to be fully-grown. It is around two years old and still had some time before reaching maturity.
Trying to Help the Squid
Richard Davies was one of the people who discovered the squid on the beach, and he explained to News 24 that he and others tried to roll it into the sea. Davies explained that he could tell the squid was in trouble, but there was nothing they could do. The squid was too heavy for the people to roll into the water, so they had to leave it for marine biologists. Davies explained there was still some life left in the squid when he saw it because it grabbed him with one of its suckers.
Nothing They Could Do
The squid passed away, and it will be examined by scientists to understand more about this species. The giant squid is an elusive animal, and one was only caught on camera for the first time in 2006. It’s thought that giant squids are found in all of the world’s oceans, but beaching events like this are rare.
Scientists do plan on figuring out what brought the giant squid to the South African shore. They say that once the lockdown rules have been eased, a team of marine biologists will determine what ended this young squid’s life.