Giant Squid

"The bane of ancient mariners and students at Hogwarts - should the latter decide to go for a dip in the lake."

- Collectors' card for giant squids.

Giant Squid are gigantic cephalopods, with eight arms and two long tentacles. Giant Squids can reach tremendous sizes, and are one of the largest living organisms. It is strongly suspected Giant Squids have magic powers.

Giant Squids are known to Muggles, although they remain mysterious animals to them. Although their extraordinary bodies have washed up all over the world, Muggles only managed to capture a live Giant Squid on film in 2006.

A semi-domesticated Giant Squid inhabits the Great Lake, on the grounds of Hogwarts Castle.

Behind the scenes

 * True giant squids (genus Architeuthis) are deep-sea-dwelling creatures and can not live in fresh water such as inland lochs in Scotland. It would not be able to stand the sunlight, pressure, salinity (or lack thereof) of the water, the space or the lack of food. At one point during the books it is fed bread, which it would not be able to digest. Giant squid also have very tender skin that would break if they were tickled by a stick, as the Weasley twins did. However, it is possible that, like Aragog, the Squid evolved/grew differently due to Hagrid's care and the surrounding environment. As many other creatures living around Hogwarts in that period, it might have been a magical mutant.
 * Ronald Weasley once stated that dating Lavender Brown was like going out with the giant squid because the more that he hinted that he wanted to finish it, the tighter she held on.
 * J. K. Rowling once joked that the squid was actually Godric Gryffindor in his Animagus form.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter Trading Card Game
 * LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
 * Pottermore

Notes and references
Riesenkrake Calmar géant Kraken