Last week, a giant squid washed up on the La Arena beach in Spain. It was 30 feet long and weighed 400 pounds, and this is what it looked like:
Enrique TalledoPhoto used with permission.
When I was a kid, my parents took me to Disney World, and we rode on the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ride, which climaxes with a giant squid attacking the “submarine” you’re riding in. I think I had nightmares for years: It’s terrifying to think that gigantic, smart, tentacled creature will capture you and eat you. It’s even more terrifying that it’s real.
The Maritime Museum in Cantabria, where the squid washed up, is deciding whether to preserve it and show it to the public. If they want to give kids nightmares, by all means, hang this paralyzingly scary thing in your museum. It’s a great way to keep kids from wanting to go into the ocean.
