Giant Squid on Spain Beach Measures 30 Feet, Weighs 400 Pounds

Scientists say that the 30-foot-long giant squid that washed ashore in Spain last week could possibly be the largest invertebrate on Earth.

The 400-pound giant squid washed up on La Arena beach Tuesday in the Spanish community of Cantabria. Thought to be a specimen of Architeuthis dux, the beast was taken to the Maritime Museum of Cantabria, according to LiveScience.com.

Photo: gdfalksen: Beachgoers in Spain discover 30-foot giant squid Carcass found in Cantabria is that of the... http://t.co/7odJ8TwbsB

— Nene Ormes (@lindorm) October 7, 2013

Giant Squid: Spain Finds 400 Pound, 30-Foot-Long Monster Washed Up On Beach [Video] http://t.co/ow7M0boV8A via @theinquisitr

— Paranormal Zone X (@Paranormal_Zone) October 6, 2013

Scientists are still working to find out more about where giant squids live and what the species' eating patterns are. Tsunemi Kubodera, a zoologist at Japan's National Museum of Nature and Science, was able to capture footage of the elusive creature in 2012 off the Ogasawara Islands about 620 miles south of Tokyo.

Editor's Note: ObamaCare Is Here. Are You Prepared?

"It was shining and so beautiful," Kubodera told Agence France-Presse at the time. "I was so thrilled when I saw it first hand, but I was confident we would because we rigorously researched the areas we might find it, based on past data."

Related stories:

Finally, Video Catches a Living Giant Squid in Pacific Depths

Squid Being Cut Open at Chinese Fish Market Contains Bomb

Jumbo Humboldt Squid Swarm Off California Coast in a Calamari Heaven