The giant squid — a 43-foot deep-sea predator never filmed alive until | The Depths Below

[00:00:00]For centuries, sailors called it a sea monster. In 2012, science finally filmed it alive below.

[00:00:07]The giant squid lives at depths exceeding 2,000 ft. No sunlight reaches there. The pressure would crush a human chest. It rises at night to hunt, then it descends.

[00:00:18]Every expedition before 2012 failed to capture it alive on film.

[00:00:23]Japanese researchers baited the darkness with a smaller squid.

[00:00:28]What came out of the black was over 10 ft of arm alone.

[00:00:32]Its eye is the largest of any living animal, the size of a dinner plate.

[00:00:37]It evolved to see in a world without light.

[00:00:40]In 2012, Tsunemi Kubodera filmed the encounter 600 m down in the North Pacific. The squid left a tentacle behind.

[00:00:49]Then it vanished. If you could follow it down, you would find scars.

[00:00:54]Sperm whales hunt them in the dark. The battles happen where no camera has reached. Fishermen have reported specimens exceeding 60 ft. None have been confirmed. No giant squid has survived captivity longer than hours.

[00:01:08]How large do they grow when nothing is watching?

[00:01:12]The deep keeps what it takes.