The giant squid, Architeuthis, is renowned as the largest invertebrate in the world. The largest squid so far recorded, which measured 55 ft (16.8 m) in total length (from tip of the fins to tip of the longest tentacle), was found stranded on a Newfoundland seashore in 1878. Considerable effort to view this elusive creature in its deep-sea habitat has been expended, but until the morning of September 30, 2004, no one had ever reported an observation of a live giant squid in the wild. On that morning, images of a live giant squid in its natural environment were captured by an underwater digital camera and depth recorder system in the deep sea off the Ogasawara Islands in the western North Pacific. This is the first evidence showing the behavior and biological characteristics of a live giant squid in the wild.