Giant Squid
Depth: 1,200 m · Midnight Zone
The giant squid can grow over ten meters long and has the largest eyes of any animal. For a long time, people only knew it from washed-up remains. It was not until 2004 that anyone photographed a living giant squid in the deep sea.
For scientists
The giant squid likely stays buoyant using ammonium ions in its tissue, which give it a bitter taste. Its plate-sized eyes, up to 27 cm across, can still catch the faint glow of animals startled by an approaching sperm whale. It cuts up prey with a horny beak after seizing it with two long feeding tentacles.
Source: Smithsonian Ocean
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