It is thought this species is most likely a solitary animal that hunts alone. Giant Squid Behaviorīecause the giant squid has never been observed in its habitat, it is difficult to know what its behavior is like. The squid must shred their food before they eat it, which they do with their radula (their tongue with small, file-like teeth). Then they bring it toward their beak, which can bite through just about anything the squid might capture. They catch their prey by using their two tentacles, gripping it with the serrated sucker rings on the ends. Giant squid prey on other, smaller squid species and fish. It is more likely they live for between one and five years. The exact lifespan of the giant squid is unknown, but it is thought they live for less than 5 years. also have dark ink that can be used to deter predators. Their eyes measure at least 27 cm (11 in) in diameter, and allow them to see in the deep, dark water. Giant squid have the largest eyes of any living creature except the colossal squid. They breathe using two large gills inside the mantle cavity. They can also move quickly by expanding the cavity to fill it with water, then contracting muscles to jet water through the siphon. They do this by pulling water into the mantle cavity, and pushing it through the siphon, in gentle, rhythmic pulses. Like other cephalopods, they are propelled by jet. Giant squid have small fins at the rear of their mantles used for locomotion. At the end of the arms they have a parrot-like beaks at the base. They also have eight arms with suckers in two longitudinal rows, which measure 2 to 5 cm (0.79 to 1.97 in) in diameter and allow the squid to grab onto their prey. The two tentacles which giant squid possess have many suckers on the tips, called clubs. Females may weigh up to 275 kg (606 lb) and males may weigh 150 kg (330 lb). These animals are sexually dimorphic, with females being larger and heavier than males. Their total length is thought to be at 12 m (39 ft) or 13 m (43 ft) for females and 10 m (33 ft) for males, with the mantle not known to exceed 2.25 m (7 ft 4.6 in).
The arms and tentacles account for much of the squid’s great length. Like all squid, a giant squid has a mantle (torso), eight arms, and two longer tentacles (the longest known tentacles of any cephalopod). The giant squid is the second largest mollusk, exceeded only by the colossal squid. However, it is not thought that they are endangered, and are listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. The exact population of the giant squid is unknown, mainly because they live so deep. They are a source of prey for animals such as sperm whales, pilot whales, southern sleeper sharks and killer whales. They are similar in appearance to other squid, with eight arms and two longer tentacles.
It is not known exactly how deep these squid live, but it is thought it could be up to 1,000 metres. The giant squid is widespread and occurs in all the world’s oceans. These squid can reach a size of 12 to 13 m (39 to 43 ft) and exhibits deep-sea gigantism, meaning they are extremely large for their surroundings. The giant squid (Architeuthis dux) is, as its name suggests, a very large squid that belongs to the family Architeuthidae and the genus Architeuthis.