It isn't every day that a mystery from the deep swims
into plain sight. But on Christmas Eve, spectators on a pier in Toyama Bay in
central Japan were treated to a rare sighting of a giant squid.
The creature swam under fishing boats and close to the
surface of Toyama Bay, better known for its firefly squid, and reportedly hung
around the bay for several hours before it was ushered back to open water.
It was captured on video by a submersible camera, and
even joined by a diver, Akinobu Kimura, owner of Diving Shop Kaiyu, who swam in
close proximity to the red-and-white real-life sea monster.
"My curiosity was way bigger than fear, so I jumped
into the water and go close to it," he told CNN.
"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."
Yuki Ikushi, the curator of Uozu Aquarium in Uozu,
Toyama, told CNN that there were 16 reports of Architeuthis squid trapped by
fishing nets last season, and this one is the first sighting this season, which
runs from November to March.
"We might see more in this season, but it's very
rare for them to be found swimming around (the fishing boats') moorings."
The Toyama squid is a fairly small example of the
species, estimated at around 3.7 meters (12.1 feet) long, and may be a
juvenile. Giant squid are thought to grow as large as 13 meters (43 feet) long.
They typically inhabit deep waters, and it is unclear why this one wandered
into the bay.
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