The Kraken Is Real... (Sort Of)

        Dating all the way back to the 12th century is the story of the Kraken. King Sverre of Norway told his people to beware of a massive tentacled creature that would sink even the largest of ships with ease. The Kraken was said to be the size of a small island, with some stories claiming that it was 200 feet long. Legend has it that the creature could create whirlpools that sunk ships into the ocean and could wrap its tentacles around ships to drag them into its mouth. What makes the story of the Kraken so scary is that it is not entirely a myth. It is speculated that the story of the Kraken originated from sightings of a species of squid that shared some of the Kraken’s monstrous characteristics. What Nordic sailors likely saw was the giant squid, an animal that stretches a whopping 40 feet in length. While it is massive, the giant squid is not the biggest squid on Earth. That title is held by the colossal squid, an invertebrate that can be found 3000 feet below the ocean’s surface. Although the colossal squid is slightly shorter than the giant squid on average, it’s around 440 pounds or 200 kilograms heavier. What makes this creature so mysterious is that it has never been recorded alive and most of what humans know about it comes from dead remains. The thing is, only 5% of Earth's oceans have been fully explored, which means that a real Kraken could possibly be lurking in the unexplored depths of the seas. 

Sources: 

http://www.unmuseum.org/kraken.htm

https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/blog/octopus-legends-and-urban-myths

https://a-z-animals.com/blog/giant-squid-vs-colossal-squid/