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© CEN/CEPESMAThe 10 metre long, 150kg monster was caught by fishermen aboard the boat Minchos off the coast of the northern Asturias region, some miles from the Strait of Villaviciosa
You'd be forgiven for thinking these images have come straight from a Sci-Fi film.

But these are pictures of a real giant squid, caught by fisherman off the coast of Spain.

The beast measured 33 foot and weighed in at a staggering 330lbs.

Believed to be a female, the squid was caught in the nets the fishermen were trawling at a depth of almost 500m.

Speaking of their surprising monster catch, one of the fishing boat crew said: "To see a specimen of this size can intimidate anybody, even those who fish every day and have spent a lifetime at sea."

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© CEN/CEPESMAThe 10 metre long, 150kg monster was caught by fishermen aboard the boat Minchos off the coast of the northern Asturias region, some miles from the Strait of Villaviciosa
The animal has now been frozen and sent to experts to experts at The Study and Protection of Marine Species in Northern Spain.

The president of the organisation said of their new arrival: "It is an extraordinary example, one of the biggest we have seen in the last few years."

The intimidating creatures can grow to impressive sizes but recent estimates but the maximum size at 43 feet for a female and 33 feet for males.

Reports of creatures as big 66 feet circulate amongst seasoned fisherman but have never been scientifically verified.

Until recently, little was known about the creature believed to be the real face of the mythical kraken, a sea-monster blamed by sailors for sinking ships off Norway in the 18th century.

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© CEN/CEPESMAIntimidating: The 10 metre long, 150kg monster was caught by fishermen aboard the boat Minchos off the coast of the northern Asturias region
But in 2013, scientists managed to film one of the mysterious creatures in their natural habitat for the first time.

The world's first live images of the elusive animal showed it in the depths of the Pacific Ocean near the Ogasawara islands, 1000km south of Japan.

In the footage the invertebrate, which has huge black eyes, can be seen holding a bait squid in its tentacles as it swims against the current at a depth of 900 metres.