Japan Giant Squid Surfaces Amid Surprised Boaters

A 12-foot giant squid thrilled boaters on Japan's Toyama Bay last week and a diver with a camera filmed the creature swimming close to the surface before ushering it back out into the deep.

The giant squid showed up on Christmas Eve and swam in the bay for several hours as it ducked under fishing boats, said CNN.

"My curiosity was way bigger than fear, so I jumped into the water and got close to it," said Akinobu Kimura, owner of Diving Shop Kaiyu who swam near the squid.

"This squid was not damaged and looked lively, spurting ink and trying to entangle his tentacles around me. I guided the squid toward to the ocean, several hundred meters from the area it was found in, and it disappeared into the deep sea."

The video of the giant squid posted on YouTube by CNN has received more than 115,000 views since Monday.



The BBC News said the giant squid appeared to be 12 feet long, but said they could grow to be up to 42 feet, or 13 meters long.

Yuki Ikushi, curator of Uozu Aquarium in Uozu, Toyama, told CNN there were 16 reports of Architeuthis squids trapped by fishing nets over the past year.

"We might see more in this season, but it's very rare for them to be found swimming around (the fishing boats') moorings," he said.

Professional underwater cameraman Takayoshi Kojima told the BBC News that with the increase in sea water temperatures, giant squid have moved north from deeper waters during the winter season.

According to National Geographic, giant squid have been difficult to study in the past because of their inhospitable, deep water habitat, making them a rare sight. Most knowledge about the animal has come from carcasses washed up on shore.

"Lately, however, the fortunes of scientists studying these elusive creatures have begun to turn," said National Geographic. "In 2004 researchers in Japan took the first images ever of a live giant squid. And in late 2006, scientists with Japan's National Science Museum caught and brought to the surface a live 24-foot female giant squid."


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