A giant squid was discovered alive on a beach in western Japan, in a rare sighting. On Wednesday, the squid was discovered at Ugu Beach in Obama, Fukui Prefecture. The news agency AFP tweeted a video of the squid washing up on the beach on Friday.
It measures over three metres (10 feet) in length and weighs around 80 kilogrammes. Giant squids live in the deep sea, and it’s rare for one to wash up alive on the beach.
The cephalopod has now been relocated to Sakai’s Echizen Matsushima Aquarium, according to the above report, which included a video of officials measuring the creature.
The deep-sea giant squids are notoriously difficult to find. They are the world’s largest cephalopods, measuring up to 13 metres in length.
According to researchers, they have a short life span of only five to six years.
