Giant Squid | Smithsonian Ocean

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Feeding

An image of a squid radula from a scanning electron micrograph.
Tiny teeth cover the surface of the giant squid’s tongue-like organ, or radula. (© Clyde F.E. Roper)

Hunting in the deep dark ocean isn't easy, but these cephalopods have adapted to their environment. In addition to their foot-wide eyes, which help them to absorb as much light as possible to glimpse prey, they also have long feeding tentacles. These tentacles are more than twice their body length, and the squids can shoot out to long distances like a net. This allows these big, comparatively conspicuous squids to sneak up and catch prey. But what do giant squids eat? Although scientists have not witnessed a giant squid feeding, they have cut open the stomachs of squids washed up on beaches to see what they had eaten recently. Giant squid mostly eat deep water fishes and other squids—including other giant squids. They also will attack schools of fish from below, quickly ascending into shallower waters to grab a meal before retreating to safer depths away from predators. Once prey is caught by the suckers and teeth on the feeding tentacles, the squid will rein it in and bring it towards its beak with its eight arms. The beak breaks the food down into smaller pieces, and the radula, a tongue-like organ covered in teeth, grinds it down further. Then the food goes down the esophagus —which travels through the squid's brain—to get to the stomach. Evidence from a washed ashore squid suggests giant squid will steal the captured meal of another squid, presumably in order to reduce the risk of an attack by a sperm whale in shallow depths. The dead squid's two tentacles were ripped from their base and large sucker marks covered the mantle.

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