Anomalous Octopuses & Strange Squids: Tales Of Fortean Cephalopods

Cephalopods represent what are, arguably, one of our planet’s weirdest classes of creatures. But if these often ink-shooting, beaked, tentacled and surprisingly intelligent water-dwellers weren’t odd enough already, there might be a few additional reasons why we should keep an eye on these strange and squishy sea-beasts. The realm of the squid certainly delves into aspects of Forteana and the ever-popular Lovecraftian lore, but for all intents and purposes, we might do well to prepare ourselves for the advent of an intelligent, and even mechanically-enhanced giant squid invasion.

Well not really… but squid lore certainly does get fairly strange, as we’ll soon begin to see.

Although the term Kraken may have been popularized in recent times by Perseus’ epic battle in the film Clash of the Titans, the fabled creature didn’t originate from Greek or Roman culture. In the traditional sense, the Kraken were first chronicled in Norse legends as giant squid-like creatures that would attack unsuspecting ships, pulling them into the ocean’s depths. However, the strange mythos and bizzarre realities of the squid and octopus, much like their long, formidable arms and tentacles, is again much further reaching.

There are around 300 species of squid known to exist, but of the many varieties, Todarodes pacificus, also commonly known as the “Japanese flying squid” is the only variety known to be able to coast through the air. But how do they do it? By blasting a highly pressurized jet of water from their bodies, this species can propel themselves, in instances, up to almost 100 feet by spreading their fins once airborne. This unique ability is attributed to being for purposes of diverting predators primarily, though it only adds to the odd air surrounding these tentacle-barring beast.

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