Giant Squid in the North Atlantic: The Real Sea Monster Behind the Legend

Yes, the giant squid of the North Atlantic is real. The species Architeuthis dux can reach around 13 meters (43 feet) in total length, including the two long tentacles it uses to catch prey. For centuries, rare encounters with these animals fueled tales of sea monsters. But an event recorded in Canada in 1873 helped turn that mystery into a subject of scientific study.

That year, fishermen reported that an enormous squid reacted to their boat. The encounter left physical material behind and reached the pages of scientific publications. This makes it historically significant — but does not mean that every dramatic description of the alleged attack has been verified.

Cover image note: AI-generated editorial illustration, not a photograph of the 1873 incident. Historic photographs and museum specimens used below are identified and credited individually.

What happened to the fishermen in 1873?

In October 1873, in Conception Bay near Great Bell Island and Portugal Cove, Newfoundland (now part of Canada), fishermen encountered something large floating in the sea. According to the account recorded at the time, they approached and touched the object before realizing that it was a living animal.

One of the men, identified as Theophilus Picot in contemporary correspondence, said the creature extended its appendages toward the boat. A tentacle was cut off and recovered. The episode is commonly dated to October 26, 1873, although a contemporary letter places the encounter around October 25.

One particularly important source is a letter from Alexander Murray, dated November of that year and published in 1874 in The American Naturalist. He described the preserved tentacle and relayed the fisherman’s testimony. The letter is available in the digitized 1874 journal, Zoology section, pages 120–123.

Murray reported that the recovered fragment had measured about 19 feet (approximately 5.8 meters) before being preserved in brine; when he examined it, he recorded approximately 17 feet. Estimates of the size of the entire animal were substantially greater than dimensions confirmed by modern scientific documentation. They must therefore be treated as witness estimates, not scientific measurements.

Physical evidence does not prove a deliberate attack

The tentacle examined at the time supports the identification of a very large cephalopod. But details of the confrontation depend on reports preserved by other people: there was no video, and later versions differ over who was in the boat and precisely how the appendage was cut.

A defensive reaction by an animal that had been disturbed is plausible, but its intentions cannot be determined. The Smithsonian explains that the ship-sinking attacks familiar from adventure stories are not established events in the scientific record. See the Smithsonian’s explanation of giant squid and their legends.

The famous giant-squid bathtub photograph shows a different animal

Another giant squid was recovered at Logy Bay in November 1873. The amateur naturalist and reverend Moses Harvey obtained that specimen, which was photographed with its arms and tentacles arranged over a bathtub at his residence.

It is important not to confuse the episodes: the historical photograph below does not show the squid described in the Portugal Cove encounter. It records another specimen that contributed to the scientific study of these creatures. The Smithsonian catalogs a famous bathtub photograph as dating from 1874, while historical records also describe photographs associated with the Logy Bay specimen in 1873.

Naturalist Addison Emery Verrill of Yale University examined materials sent from Newfoundland, helping produce more precise anatomical descriptions. Together, the nineteenth-century records gradually replaced speculation about sea monsters with observations about a real animal.

How big is a giant squid, really?

The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History reports that the longest total length documented by scientists is approximately 13 meters (43 feet). That measurement includes the body and the long tentacles, which account for a substantial part of the animal’s overall length.

That is why headlines claiming that the body alone measures 20 or 30 meters should be checked carefully. Tentacles can stretch, specimens may be damaged, and older estimates were not always supported by measurements. According to the Smithsonian’s documented reference, no 20-meter specimen has been scientifically established; such numbers come from indirect estimates.

Giant squid have eight arms and two feeding tentacles, a hard beak and eyes that can approach 30 centimeters (about 12 inches) in diameter. Their large eyes help them detect faint signs of light in the deep ocean.

Where does the North Atlantic giant squid live?

Although this story focuses on the North Atlantic, Architeuthis dux is not restricted to that region. Individuals have been recorded in different oceans. The Smithsonian describes occurrences on both the eastern and western sides of the North Atlantic, as well as other areas, particularly around continental slopes and islands.

The deep-water environment makes direct observation difficult. Researchers investigate the species at depths that may be hundreds of meters below the surface. Much of the historical knowledge came from animals found dead or caught accidentally.

Have scientists ever filmed a living giant squid?

Yes. Researchers obtained images of the species in its natural habitat in 2004. In 2006, a living specimen was recorded near the surface during a baiting operation in Japan. In 2012, a team filmed the species alive at depth in its natural environment, a milestone later discussed by the Smithsonian. See the Smithsonian’s account of these recordings.

In 2019, an expedition supported by NOAA recorded a living giant squid in United States waters, in the Gulf of Mexico, for the first time. In the footage, it approaches an illuminated lure, extends its tentacles and retreats. Researchers estimated that the animal measured at least 3–3.7 meters (10–12 feet) long.

The scientists explained that the footage shows an interaction with the lure, not an attack on human beings. The camera system was designed to observe organisms adapted to darkness with minimal disturbance. Read the NOAA’s original report on the 2019 observation.

Did the giant squid inspire the Kraken legend?

The Kraken appears in Northern European maritime traditions as an enormous and threatening creature. Encounters with large squid may have influenced later depictions, but the entire origin of the myth cannot be reduced to a single species or sighting.

Literature also magnified the image of the monster. In Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas, by Jules Verne, published in the nineteenth century, a tentacled creature appears in a dramatic confrontation. Fiction helped popularize scenes that should not be mistaken for scientific records of animal behavior.

Are giant squid and colossal squid the same species?

No. The giant squid is Architeuthis dux; the colossal squid is Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni. They are different animals. Total length and body mass are also different measurements, making comparisons about the ‘world’s biggest squid’ more complicated than they appear.

In a separate scientific development, researchers reported the first confirmed footage of a living colossal squid in its natural habitat in 2025. It was a juvenile filmed in Southern Ocean waters — not an adult giant squid from the North Atlantic.

Myths and facts about giant squid

• Fact: Giant squid exist and are studied in museums and research centers.
• Fact: The 1873 account is supported by historical correspondence and documented biological material.
• Unproven: The squid deliberately attempted to sink the fishing boat in 1873.
• Fact: The species has been filmed alive in deep water.
• Unproven: Dramatic images or fictional videos of giant squid attacking ships establish real attacks.

Frequently asked questions

Are giant squid still alive today?

Yes. Architeuthis dux is a living species, supported by modern specimen records and verified footage.

What is the largest confirmed giant squid?

The Smithsonian reports a scientifically documented maximum total length of around 13 meters (43 feet), including the tentacles.

Are giant squid dangerous to boats and swimmers?

They are large marine predators, but there is no established scientific record supporting tales of giant squid sinking boats. Their usual habitat is deep water.

Was the squid from the 1873 encounter photographed?

The tentacle associated with the Portugal Cove report was photographed and studied. The well-known image of a squid on a bathtub depicts a different specimen recovered at Logy Bay.

What does this story reveal about the ocean’s mysteries?

The giant squid illustrates how an unfamiliar animal can become a legend before scientists gather enough evidence to understand it. The 1873 encounter has historical value, preserved specimens are real, and modern footage helps researchers learn more about the species’ biology. Attacks on ships, however, remain in the realm of unverified accounts and fiction.

Editorial note — November 2026: This educational, evergreen article is adapted in full from the Portuguese report, using historical records and documents from the Smithsonian, NOAA and a scientific publication issued in 1874. Eyewitness reports are explicitly identified as accounts, not confirmed attacks.

Watch: A giant squid filmed in the deep sea

Sources and historical records consulted

• The American Naturalist (1874), volume 8, pages 120–123 — Alexander Murray’s account (digitized historical volume)
• The American Naturalist — journal archive
• Smithsonian Ocean — Giant Squid: anatomy, research and legends
• Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History — The Giant Squid
• NOAA Ocean Exploration (2019) — Here Be Monsters: We Filmed a Giant Squid in America’s Backyard
• Wikimedia Commons — historical Logy Bay giant squid photograph
• Museums Victoria / Wikimedia Commons — preserved giant squid specimen, CC BY 4.0
• Schmidt Ocean Institute — 2025 colossal squid recording (additional scientific context)