When the woman found the colossal animal on the beach, her first instinct was to save its life: return it to the ocean. However, the squid was already dying.
This giant of the deep was discovered on a South African beach on June 7. The specimen, which measured 4.19 meters in length, was probably not yet an adult.
Tourists on the beach tried to throw the huge cephalopod back into the water, but had no choice but to leave the animal lying there due to its enormous weight.
"It was sad because I could see that he was dying," said Richard Davies, one of those who was able to see the animal. "He was still pumping ink and I got to touch one of his tentacles that sucked my hand; I had to use some force to get rid of him."
The giant squid was later collected by a team of marine biologists from the Iziko Museums, who plan to study it further.
Giant squids live at depths of between 300 and 1,000 meters and it is believed that they can grow up to 20 meters in length, although they normally only live for about five years. Experts believe this particular specimen was just two years old and a long way from it before reaching maturity.
How this large cephalopod ended up on the beach is a mystery, and scientists plan to investigate the matter in the near future when they perform the necropsy.
