On September 30, 2004, Japanese researchers Tsunemi Kubodera and Kyoichi Mori photographed an 8-meter-long (26 feet) giant squid about 900 meters (2952 feet) below the surface of the Pacific Ocean near Japan’s Ogasawara Islands. Reported in the October 2005 issue of the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, these were the first-ever photos of a live adult Architeuthis in its natural habitat.

At 9:15 a.m., a giant squid attacked the ship's bait, snagging one of its two long feeding tentacles on the hooks of the jig. For the next four hours, a camera recorded the squid’s efforts to escape, snapping a photo every 30 seconds. Ultimately, the tentacle broke and was collected by the researchers when they retrieved the camera. DNA analysis confirmed that Kubodera and Mori had, in fact, captured the first images of Architeuthis in its natural world.

But there is still much to learn about this creature who has, until now, eluded scientists. Although Kubodera and Mori have taken a critical initial step toward understanding Architeuthis’ mysterious life in the ocean, new discoveries still need to be made. More giant squid need to be observed in their deep-sea habitats.

People across the nation are helping squid researchers determine how to find the next live giant squid. As In Search of Giant Squid makes its way from coast to coast, visitors are trying to answer the bonus question, "How would you catch a giant squid?" Even the youngest explorers had some interesting ideas for Dr. Clyde Roper, the Smithsonian's resident teuthologist:

Click on an image to read

>>Read more about the discovery of the live giant squid

>>Read more about the In Search of Giant Squid exhibition