Evidence of a whale-eating squid monster.

An American researcher has presented fossil evidence for the existence of a monstrous squid, believed to be 1.6 km long, capable of devouring whales.

Illustration of the Kraken, the squid monster from legend. Photo: YouTube.

The Kraken is a giant squid monster in Norse mythology that can devour whales and ships. Legends describe this sea creature as being 1.6 kilometers long. Although the Kraken was first mentioned in the 13th-century Icelandic folk tale Örvar-Oddr, one researcher claims there is fossil evidence of this creature, according to Ancient Origins.

Discovered in 2011, the fossils of a species of marine lizard bear strange markings that may have been caused by a Kraken-like creature. Despite facing much criticism, Professor Mark McMenamin, a paleontologist at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, USA, has presented further evidence to support his conclusion.

Traces of squid tentacles on an ichthyosaur fossil. Photo: Mark McMenamin.

An unusually arranged spinal fossil of a marine reptile has been found in Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park in Nevada, USA. The fossil belongs to an ichthyosaur that lived 200-250 million years ago. The arrangement of the bones suggests it was attacked by a much larger predator, possibly a giant octopus or squid that dominated the oceans at the time. It is estimated that the creature that defeated the ichthyosaur must have been about 30 meters long, far exceeding the Pacific giant octopus, the largest octopus species today.

The discovery of a fossilized part believed to be the beak of a giant squid, along with several bones bearing tentacle-like traces, seems to reinforce Professor McMenamin's hypothesis. A pile of bone fragments was also found alongside the ichthyosaur carcass.

Professor McMenamin noted that the arrangement of the skeleton and the position of the tentacles indicated that the ichthyosaur was submerged or strangled. It is highly likely that it was dragged back to its lair by a Kraken-like creature and its carcass was dumped there.

However, researchers still believe that more convincing evidence is needed before drawing definitive conclusions about the actual existence of the Kraken monster.

According to VNE