Watch: In rare sighting, giant squid washes ashore alive in Japan

The squid was found on Wednesday at the Ugu beach in Obama, Fukui Prefecture. On Friday, the news agency AFP tweeted a video of the squid washed ashore.

In a rare sighting, a giant squid was found alive on a shore in western Japan. The squid was found on Wednesday at the Ugu beach in Obama, Fukui Prefecture. On Friday, the news agency AFP tweeted a video of the squid washed ashore.

Giant squids live in the deep sea, and it is unusual for one to be washed ashore alive.(Twitter/AFP)

It is more than three metres (10 feet) long and weighs approximately 80 kilograms. Giant squids live in the deep sea, and it is unusual for one to be washed ashore alive.

A report by Japanese daily Mainichi citing the Obama Municipal Government said that the squid was still alive when it was found.

The cephalopod has now been shifted to the Echizen Matsushima Aquarium in Sakai, the above report added and showed a video where officials were taking measurements of the creature.

The giant squids that live deep underwater remain largely elusive. They are the largest cephalopods known to date and can grow up to 13 metres in length.

Their life span is short and they can only live up to five to six years, according to researchers.