Floating about 12 miles (19 kilometers) off Port Salerno, Florida, a stirring, intact giant squid gave a small fishing party a shock around 11 a.m. Sunday—and could give researchers new insights into the species, which has never been studied alive, scientists say.

“We looked at it and all three of us were like, Holy mackerel!” recreational fisher Robby Benz told WPTV. “It didn’t seem it had been dead long, the tentacles were still moving and it was sticking to you when we got it in” the fishing boat.

After reaching shore, the men called wildlife authorities, and the then dead giant squid soon found a home at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville.

Giant squid, the world’s largest invertebrates, are thought to reach lengths of up to about 60 feet (18 meters) and can weigh nearly a ton. The Florida specimen, though, is about 25 feet (8 meters) long and weighs about 200 pounds (90 kilograms).

Like other giant squid, the new catch is Continue reading Giant Squid Shocks Fishermen →