May

Today in Smithsonian History: May 27, 1994

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For over 2,000 years the giant squid has inspired fear, fascination, and fantastic stories. Why? Encounters with this huge invertebrate have always been rare–and distant. And only recently has there been scientific evidence to dispute the legends. (Mary Evans Picture Library/Alamy – Ellis, R. 1994. Monsters of the Sea. Robert Hale Ltd.)

May 27, 1994 “In Search of Giant Squids” opens at the National Museum of Natural History. Curated by Clyde Roper, a leading authority on squids, the permanent exhibition explores and interprets the mystery and complexity of the world’s largest invertebrates. A bioluminescent giant squid, able to flash blue-green light in the ocean depths, is a highlight of the exhibition.

Learn more about these mysterious and fascinating creatures at Ocean Portal.

Six-foot-tall Clyde Roper stretches out beside a giant squid to give a sense of scale. (Photo courtesy Ingrid Roper)

Giant squid have giant eyes. The one in this jar is about the same size as Clyde Roper’s head! Giant squid, like its other cephalopod relatives, stand out for their highly complex visual system. Dr. Roper is a cephalopod expert and Research Zoologist Emeritus at the National Museum of Natural History. (Photo courtesy of Dana Dolan, 2008)