Giant squid found off Monterey coast

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Researchers in Northern California are dissecting what appears to be a rare giant squid found this week near Monterey Bay. The squid was 25 feet long and had tentacles as thick as a human leg. Researchers are fairly certain it’s a giant squid, as opposed to another type of cephalopod.

As the Santa Cruz Sentinel reports, biologists gathered at Santa Cruz harbor Wednesday to examine the squid found by researcher Sean Van Sommeran and his Pelagic Shark Research Foundation crew about 20 miles offshore. The creature was already dead when it was discovered floating on the surface.

John Field, a fishery biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told the Sentinel that only a handful of giant squid have ever been found in California waters. ‘It’s probably better than anyone’s seen in California,’ Field said. The squid was taken to the Long Marine Laboratory for the necropsy.

-- Steve Padilla