Caught on camera: Giant squid 3.7m-long makes rare appearance at Japanese harbour

Caught on camera: Giant squid 3.7m-long makes rare appearance at Japanese harbour

This Christmas, residents of Toyama Bay, located in central Japan, received the best present ever - a rare sighting of a living giant squid near a dock in the bay.

While Toyama Bay is home to 16 giant squid settings in the past, the giant squid remains a rare and elusive creature that prefers to dwell in the deep ocean.

Hence, it came as a great surprise to the Japanese when a 3.7-metre-long specimen was spotted swimming near the surface beside a dock on Christmas Eve.

Akinobu Kimura, a dive shop owner, was so awed by the sighting that he decided to dive into the sea for a closer look, reports Canada Journal.

Kimura said: "[My curiosity] was way bigger than fear.

"This squid was not damaged and looked lively, spurting ink and trying to entangle his tentacles around me.

"I guided the squid toward to the ocean, several hundred metres from the area it was found in, and it disappeared into the deep sea."

While the giant squid is definitely many times bigger than the common squid most people are familiar with, experts believe that the one found was not yet full-grown.

A giant squid that has reached maturity can reach up to 20 metres.

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