The 10-metre-long (33 feet), 150-kilogramme (330-lb) monster was caught by fishermen aboard the boat Minchos, some miles from off coast of Villaviciosa, a town in the Asturias region of northern Spain.
The female squid was caught in the nets the fishermen were trawling at a depth of almost 500 metres (1,640 feet).
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."
The giant squid has been frozen and transported to the labs of CEPESMA - the Coordinators for the Study and Protection of Marine Species - who will carry out an autopsy.
The president of CEPESMA, Luis Laria, said: "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.
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.
The female squid was caught in the nets the fishermen were trawling at a depth of almost 500 metres (1,640 feet).
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."
The giant squid has been frozen and transported to the labs of CEPESMA - the Coordinators for the Study and Protection of Marine Species - who will carry out an autopsy.
The president of CEPESMA, Luis Laria, said: "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.
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.
Music: Mystic Force by Kevin MacLeod
Source: Mirror , DailyStar
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