Japanese scientists photograph live giant squid for first time

Japanese scientists have photographed a live giant squid in the wild for the first time, ending an age-old quest to document one of the most mysterious creatures of the deep-sea.

The team led by Tsunemi Kubodera, from the National Science Museum in Tokyo, tracked the 8-meter (25-foot) long Architeuthis as it attacked prey at 900 meters (yards) deep off the coast of Japan's Bonin islands.

"We believe this is the first time a grown giant squid has been captured on camera in its natural habitat," said Kyoichi Mori, a marine researcher who co-authored a piece on the finding in the Royal Society Journal, a leading British biological publication.

The camera was operated by remote control during research in the fall of 2004, capping a three-year search for the squid in around the Bonin, 1,000 kilometer (670 miles) south of Tokyo, Mori told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

P.T.