Giant squid eat other, smaller squid species and hunt fish, including blue grenadier ( Macruronus novaezelandiae), a torpedo-shaped deep-sea fish, according to the University of Michigan's Animal Diversity Web (opens in new tab). While scientists don't know exactly how long giant squid live, they believe it is no more than five years so they must grow very quickly, according to the Smithsonian.

Squid have short lifespans, and most species only live for one to three years.

The female then releases millions of fertilized eggs stuck together as an egg mass, according to the Smithsonian.Д«aby squid are just 1 to 4 millimeters long when they hatch from their mother's eggs, and feed in the upper ocean at depths of about 650 feet (200 m), before descending deeper into the ocean when they mature, according to the Delaware Museum Of Natural History (opens in new tab). Experts assume that males place their sperm onto the female squid's arms, and suspect females may release eggs and hold them as they are fertilized in the water. Scientists aren't sure what squid mating even looks like. Related: Giant squid all one big, happy family (opens in new tab) Breeding This suggests giant squid are a single species and intermingle through migration. However, a 2013 study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B (opens in new tab) analyzed 43 giant squid samples collected from across their range and found little genetic diversity. Some scientists believe that giant squid should be split into multiple different species, including separate species for populations in the North Atlantic, North Pacific and Southern Ocean. Giant squid are most often recorded in the North Atlantic and North Pacific, and near South Africa and New Zealand, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (opens in new tab) (IUCN). Giant squid can be found in oceans around the world at depths of at least 2,950 feet, but their exact geographic range is unknown. Colossal squid can reach lengths of 45 feet (14 m), but giant squid can grow even longer because of their two elongated tentacles, and may reach 66 feet, according to the Smithsonian. One of the few known colossal squid specimens, held at the Te Papa museum, weighs 992 pounds (450 kilograms), while giant squid are thought to only weigh up to about 606 pounds (275 kg). Colossal squid ( Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni) live in the Southern Ocean at depths of at least 3,280 feet (1000 m) and have larger and heavier bodies than giant squid, according to the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (opens in new tab). Giant squid are massive, but they still have competition for the title of biggest ocean cephalopod. (Image credit: AdГ©le Grosse) (opens in new tab) Giant squid vs colossal squid A giant squid washed up on Golden Mile Beach in Britannia Bay, South Africa.

Squidman the sea monster