The final monster of the deep

With the current millennial trumpet-blowing about human progress, it is worth being reminded that we have much to learn about many forms of life on our planet. The giant squid, or Architeuthis , is a perfect example. So elusive is this creature that not a single living specimen has been observed by science. Washed-up carcasses have provided the sole clues as to its natural history.

As Richard Ellis points out, it is the least-known large animal on earth and the last monster to be conquered. Some 20 metres long, with multiple appendages, hooks, claws, suction cups, the largest eyes in the animal kingdom and a misplaced, parrot-like beak, the giant squid is not only monstrous but essentially alien. From the kraken of antiquity, with which it has been identified, to the eponymous "beast" of Peter Benchley's recent fable, the giant squid has been represented as a monster from the depths. Little wonder that it now lurks in the nether regions of the subconscious.

An expert, prolific marine writer, Ellis capitalises on the inherent attractions of his subject. His search for Architeuthis takes the reader on a fascinating voyage of exploration covering the considerable mythology and popular literature regarding this creature, as well as the available scientific information. This book, the first comprehensive study of the giant squid, is a rare entity: a serious work with genuine appeal for a spectrum of readers, from laymen and monster lovers, to biologists and crypto-zoologists.

Public perception of the giant squid has in the main been shaped by its representation in literary fiction and cinema. Herman Melville and Jules Verne, for instance, have provided generations with a limited view of this awesome animal. In possibly the most engaging chapter of his book, Ellis wades through the wealth of literary and cinematic material about the giant squid that has accumulated since the mid-19th century.

Ellis highlights instances where authors have been tempted by our scant knowledge of the creature to exaggerate its powers or to endow it with attributes it does not possess. Likewise he displays a healthy degree of scepticism regarding many reported giant squid sightings and strandings, not least about estimations of size. Indeed, Ellis is no respecter of reputations when it comes to the veracity of descriptions of Architeuthis . Even Jacques Cousteau does not escape criticism.

Ellis concludes by suggesting that if ever Architeuthis is captured, in some ways we will be the poorer -because one more mystery will have been solved. Quoting John Steinbeck - "Men really need sea monsters in their personal oceans... An ocean without its unnamed monsters would be like a completely dreamless sleep" - Ellis contends that while we need to find the giant squid, we also need not to find it.

Richard Boyle is a writer specialising in Sri Lanka.