The giant squid was long thought to be the stuff of legend. It was only in the late 19th century that it was first officially recorded by scientists, after one leviathan squid washed up on a beach in New Zealand.
Related to slugs and snails, this monster from the deep, along with its cousin the colossal squid, is the largest invertebrate in the world. It has never been filmed in its natural habitat hundreds of metres down, but occasionally specimens are brought to the surface by deep-sea trawlers.
Joy Reidenberg and Mark Evans fly out to New Zealand to join a team of experts and dissect a rare specimen of a giant squid and a bizarre octopus that inhabits the 'midnight zone' over a kilometre deep, where there is no light at all.
From the moment they set eyes on these cephalopods, the dissection team is fascinated by the alien anatomy of these strange cousins.
The team discover that the giant squid has teeth on its tentacles and tongue, a throat that dives through the middle of its brain, and three hearts that power blue blood through a muscle-filled jet-propulsion cloak. They investigate how octopus and squid are masters of disguise and survive underwater warfare using camouflage, ink jets and spectacular light shows.
They piece together the puzzle of how the giant squid hunts, how it jets through the water, how its quick-fire beak pulverises food and why it has such enormous eyes. They also discover the brutal truth about giant squid sex.
