The ocean surrounding the Portuguese island of Madeira continues to produce creatures of legend with Sunday’s capture of a giant squid weighing more than 100 kg.
The skipper of the boat, whose crew managed to drag the monster on deck, said that the biggest problem was to get the squid on board and that it took the strength of three men.
The animal was caught four nautical miles from the beach of Paúl do Mar and taken aboard the Flipper II.
The creature, scientifically known as Architeutis dux, is the largest of all invertebrates.
In August this year, an American fisherman managed a world record by capturing a 366-kilogramme Blue marlin near Calheta, Madeira. (HERE)
According to local press, the previous record fish of 358 kilos was caught off the Ivory Coast 28 years ago. This was beaten by sports fisherman, Gary Carter.
In 2003, started French sailors found a giant squid wrapped around their yacht as they competed in the round-the-world Jules Verne Trophy.
Yachtsman Olivier De Kersauson said that several hours into the voyage he found that the giant squid had clamped itself onto the hull of his boat.
Olivier de Kersauson said the incident occurred off Madeira, "I saw a tentacle through a porthole, it was thicker than my leg and it was really pulling the boat hard."
Mr de Kersauson says two of the tentacles were blocking the rudder but the squid released its grip when he stopped the boat.
"We didn't have anything to scare off this beast, so I don't know what we would have done if it hadn't let go," Mr de Kersauson said, "We weren't going to attack it with our penknives."
Giant squid are carnivorous molluscs which live around 1,000 metres under the surface. Only about 250 sightings - mostly of dead squid - have ever been recorded.
Giant squid can grow to a tremendous size due to deep-sea gigantism: recent estimates put the maximum size at 13 metres for females and 10 metres for males from the posterior fins to the tip of the two long tentacles.
Claims of specimens measuring 20 metres or more have not been scientifically documented, none-the-less, scientists believe the giant squid can be as long as 18 metres (60 feet).
The number of different giant squid species has been debated, but recent genetic research suggests that only one species exists.
