Giant squid
© AFP Photo
Footage of an impressive giant squid filmed by Russian sailors has emerged online, with the animal attempting to steal the fishermen's catch.

In the video, the squid is trying to eat a large fish, while the sailors prod the animal with a pole to drive it off.


The squid is about five times as big as the huge fish it tries to snatch. The massive creature makes a valiant attempt, but is eventually pushed away by the sailors.

It remains unclear which species of squid this one is. There are two: the giant squid which is long, and the colossal squid which is broader and even larger than its cousin.

Not much is known about the species because only a few specimens have ever been caught or captured on video. Giant and colossal squids are about 12 meters in length.

"Its eyes are supposedly the largest in the animal kingdom, as big as a basketball perhaps. I mean bigger than my head, which is amazing to think about. And that's so they can see in the dark," Leslie Schwerin, who produced a documentary about giant squids, told the Discovery Channel.