Scientists and broadcasters said yesterday they have captured footage of an elusive giant squid, up to 8m long, that roams the depths of the Pacific Ocean.
Japan's National Science Museum succeeded in filming the deep-sea creature in its natural habitat for the first time, working with Japanese public broadcaster NHK and the US Discovery Channel.
The creature is thought to be the genesis of the Nordic legend of Kraken, a sea monster believed to have attacked ships in waters off Scandinavia over the last millennium.
Modern-day scientists on their own Moby Dick-style search used a submersible to get them into the dark and cold depths of the northern Pacific Ocean, where at around 630m they managed to film a 3m specimen.
After around 100 missions, during which they spent 400 hours in the cramped submarine, the three-man crew tracked the creature from a spot some 15km east of Chichi island in the north Pacific Ocean.
Museum researcher Tsunemi Kubodera said they followed the enormous mollusc to a depth of 900m as it swam into the ocean abyss.
NHK showed footage of the silver-coloured creature, which had huge black eyes, as it swam against the current, holding a bait squid in its arms.
For Kubodera it was the culmination of a lengthy quest for the beast.
"I was so thrilled when I saw it first hand, but I was confident we would because we rigorously researched the areas we might find it, based on past data," Kubodera said.
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