But when were giant squids discovered, and why did it take so long to find the real-life "Kraken"? Let's find out ... the rarest curiosities in the whole animal kingdom—the veritable tentacle ...

Kraken The Kraken, a legendary sea monster ... might have been derived from real-life animals and ancient findings. Large dinosaur bones discovered by early humans could have fired the imagination ...

as they explore the real-life inspiration behind fantastic sea monsters of yore that are lurking in the Museum's wet collections. Originating in Scandinavian folklore, the kraken is usually depicted ...