First-Ever Video of Giant Squid Emerges

Paging Captain Nemo.

A team of scientists and engineers in the Pacific Ocean have unveiled the first giant squid ever caught on film. The footage was four years in the making and the result of 100 sub dives, some at depths greater than 3,000 feet, and more than 400 hours down in the abyss.

The crew came eye-to-eye with the giant squid, which can be roughly the length of a school bus and weighs up to a ton, its eight arms and two tentacles covered in razor-toothed suckers.

The footage is the fruit of a partnership between Japanese public-broadcasting company NHK and the Discovery Channel. An upcoming special, Monster Squid: The Giant Is Real, premieres on Discovery on Jan. 27 as the finale of its Curiosity series. Hopefully, someone remembered to get the Kraken to sign a release.