Encounters in the Living Ocean

Scientists’ limited observations of giant squid have fueled a centuries-long fascination with these elusive creatures. Technological developments have recently allowed researchers to study them in greater detail. This paper investigates several instances where technology brought giant squid to the attention of naturalists and the public. In 1873, a photograph of a giant squid captured near Newfoundland provided tangible proof of its existence. In 2000, a giant squid caught off New Zealand’s coast was taxidermied and displayed in a Paris museum. And in 2012, a film crew used a submersible to capture video footage of a living giant squid in its natural environment. By examining how visual evidence of giant squid and the treatment of their physical remains has shifted since the nineteenth century, this paper informs our understanding of the visual epistemology of marine science and the ways in which new technologies reshaped both scientific and public perceptions of ocean life. It provides a fresh perspective on the role of animals in forging human’s understanding of the ocean’s depths, and on the interplay between science, technology, and myth in defining the human relationship to the natural world.