Release the Kraken! Giant Squid Photos

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Credit: AP Photo (Image credit: AP Photo)

'It is a Whopper:' Giant Squid on Beach

(Image credit: AP Photo/Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service, HO)

In this photo released by Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service, a giant squid is seen after it washed up onto Ocean Beach in Strahan, Tasmania, Tuesday, July, 10. 2007. The squid, measuring 1 meter (3 feet) across at its widest point and 8 meters (26 feet) from the tip of its body to the end of its tentacles, was found early Wednesday by a beachcomber at Ocean Beach on the island state of Tasmania's west coast.

Beached Giant Squid

Giant squid beached

(Image credit: David Paul, Museum Victoria)

Giant squid are almost never observed in the wild, but beached specimens have taught scientists about their anatomy.

Giant Squid

Beached giant squid

(Image credit: David Paul, Museum Victoria)

An autopsy of a beached giant squid in Canada.

Giant Squid's Length

Giant squid autopsy

(Image credit: Mark Norman)

Scientists estimate that giant squid can grow up to about 60 feet (18 meters) long, including their massive tentacles.

Giant Squid Beak

Giant squid beak

(Image credit: David Paul, Museum Victoria)

The beak of a giant squid. The animals are apparently skilled hunters, eating fish and other squid.

Squid Autopsy

Giant squid autopsy

(Image credit: Mark Norman, Museum Victoria)

Scientists autopsy a giant squid corpse. Giant squid weren't observed live in their natural habitats until 2004.

Squid Tentacle

Giant squid tentacle

(Image credit: Mark Norman, Museum Victoria)

The tentacle of a giant squid, sporting large suckers.

Stephanie Pappas
Stephanie Pappas
Live Science Contributor

Stephanie Pappas is a contributing writer for Live Science, covering topics ranging from geoscience to archaeology to the human brain and behavior. She was previously a senior writer for Live Science but is now a freelancer based in Denver, Colorado, and regularly contributes to Scientific American and The Monitor, the monthly magazine of the American Psychological Association. Stephanie received a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of South Carolina and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz.