A giant squid, rarely seen outside of deep waters, has been filmed swimming near a pier in central Japan.
The 3.7-metre-long squid was spotted swimming under fishing boats at Toyama Bay on Christmas Eve.
It reportedly lingered around the moorings for several hours and was captured on video using a submersible camera.
It is not known why the squid ventured so close to shore, but local dive shop owner Akinobu Kimura, who joined the squid in the water to guide it back out to sea, told CNN it seemed “lively”.
“My curiosity was way bigger than fear, so I jumped into the water and [went] close to it,” he said.
“This squid was not damaged and looked lively, spurting ink and trying to entangle his tentacles around me.”
Much remains unknown about the species, which typically inhabits deep waters, but they are thought to grow as large as 13 metres long.
In October marine biologists captured three young giant squid, weighing less than 450g and 12-33cm, off south-western Japan.
A dead giant squid, nearly two metres long, washed up on a beach in Kaikoura, New Zealand, in May.
