Eight-metre monster of the deeps caught on film
It has terrorised mariners since ancient times and eluded researchers for decades, but now the 'Kraken' of the deep has given up its secrets.
Alright, enough with the hyperbole - the world of marine biology is all a-flutter after researchers filmed a giant squid ( to scientists) in its natural habitat for the first time, an achievement described as the 'Holy Grail' of wildlife filmmaking.
The footage was filmed in the depths of the Pacific Ocean by researchers from Japan's National Science Museum, working with Japanese public broadcaster NHK and America's Discovery Channel, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
"With razor-toothed suckers and eyes the size of dinner plates, tales of this creature have been around since ancient times," a Discovery spokesperson gushes.
"The Norse legend of the sea monster the Kraken, and the Scylla from Greek mythology, might have derived from the elusive giant squid."
Leader of the research mission Tsunemi Kubodera, one of three scientists aboard the submersible that filmed the beast, described it as "shining and beautiful".
The footage is set to be broadcast in the US for the first time on Sunday, January 27.
Meanwhile, there's an even bigger monster yet to be caught on film - the Mesonychoteuthis, or 'colossal squid'.
