Could a squid take down a submarine?

Sea creatures feature prominently in seafarer tales around the world, some dating back to ancient times. In Greek and Roman mythology, there are tales of great battles between man and marine monsters capable of pulling ships underwater. Twelfth century Norwegian sailors told stories of sea creatures they'd seen; by the 18th century, the creatures of Norwegian legend had grown to the likes of islands with arms.

It's thought that giant, colossal and Humboldt squid are aggressive, opportunistic creatures that prey on anything that comes their way -- from easy meals of fish and shrimp to a more sporting hunt of other large cephalopods and whales. The Humboldt, specifically, are known to be fierce, cannibalistic fighters. Mexican fishermen have nicknamed them "diablos rojos," or red devils, because of their bodies' red color and their hostile nature.

In other modern accounts, a squid of "colossal dimensions" figured in Jules Verne's 1869 novel, "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea," said to be a fictionalized account of a real encounter between a French navy ship and a giant squid. Whether the original account is entirely fictional or not, the novel peaked the public's interest in deep-sea gigantism and marine attacks, and certainly isn't the only account of squid attacking ships.

In the 1930s, the Royal Norwegian navy's 15,000-ton tanker, the Brunswick, was attacked three separate times by giant squid. Each account tells of a squid pursuing the tanker and striking it suddenly, tentacles wrapped around the hull [source: The Museum of Unnatural Mystery]. Fortunately for the sailors -- yet unfortunately for the squid -- the steel of the ship proved either too slick or too hard (or maybe both) for the tentacles to grapple and pierce the prey. Each squid that tried to land the Brunswick ended up perishing after sliding into the tanker's propellers.

As recently as 2003, a giant squid attempted to take down a boat -- this time a French yacht sailing, ironically, in the Jules Verne Trophy, a prize for the fastest global circumnavigation by a yacht. The 26-foot-long (7.9-meter) squid gave up before its demise, or that of the boat.

Some scientists are skeptical that squid are dangerous to humans or watercraft, suggesting that they're a species with a fish-based diet, and therefore have no need to attack humans or the steel of a ship.

Whether they're indeed pursuing our vessels or not, none of the predatory, gigantic squid has yet to take down a ship, yacht or submarine, but it hasn't been for lack of trying.

For more information about squid and other creatures of the sea, visit our resources on the following page.