00:00these three animals invented every sea monster myth the kraken the leviathan the sea serpent
00:06what if these legendary monsters weren't completely made up for centuries sailors
00:11returned from the ocean with terrifying stories of gigantic beasts lurking beneath the waves
00:17and surprisingly many of those stories may have been based on real animals in fact three creatures
00:23may have inspired almost every major sea monster myth in history first the kraken was a giant
00:29squid the kraken from scandinavian folklore was described as a massive tentacled monster capable
00:35of dragging ships beneath the sea for hundreds of years people assumed it was pure fiction
00:41then scientists discovered the giant squid growing up to 43 feet long giant squids live
00:48deep in the ocean where humans rarely see them they have the largest eyes in the animal kingdom
00:53and enormous tentacles lined with powerful suckers imagine being a sailor centuries ago and seeing
01:00huge arms suddenly rise from the water you wouldn't think squid you'd think monster even more dramatic
01:07were the battles between giant squids and sperm whales a sailor witnessing one of these violent
01:13encounters would have seen thrashing tentacles churning water and a gigantic beast fighting for
01:18its life the kraken wasn't imaginary it was a giant squid seen through the lens of fear and mystery next
01:27the sea
01:27serpent was an oarfish long snake-like sea monsters appear in myths all around the world and one real
01:35animal matches those descriptions surprisingly well the oarfish the oarfish is the longest bony fish on earth
01:43reaching over 25 feet in length its body is shaped like a silver ribbon and it has a bright red
01:49crest
01:49running along its head and back because it normally lives in deep water most people never see one alive
01:56but if an ancient sailor spotted this shimmering serpent-like creature moving through the waves the
02:02conclusion would be obvious sea serpent its strange appearance is so convincing that even in the 1800s washed
02:08up oarfish were often reported as actual sea monsters finally the leviathan was a whale the leviathan
02:20was described as a colossal beast so enormous it could be mistaken for an island
02:31sound familiar that's exactly how a whale might appear to sailors centuries ago
02:39sound familiar with it
02:44blue whales can reach nearly 100 feet long making them the largest animals ever known to exist
02:55their enormous bodies powerful blows and sudden appearances would have seemed supernatural
03:07Sperm whales added another layer to the legend.
03:10These massive predators dive thousands of feet into the deep and battle giant squids
03:16in epic underwater fights.
03:20Even more fascinating, medieval stories describe giant sea creatures floating with their mouths
03:25open to trap fish.
03:31Scientists once dismissed these tales as fantasy until they observed humpback whales
03:37doing exactly that.
03:39Sometimes the myths were surprisingly accurate.
03:42The kraken was likely a giant squid, the sea serpent was probably an oarfish, and the
03:48leviathan was almost certainly a whale.
03:50These legends weren't invented from nothing.
03:52They were real encounters with animals so massive and bizarre that people could only
03:57describe them as monsters.
03:59And considering how much of the ocean remains unexplored, it raises one question.
04:04What other myth are still waiting to be discovered?
04:08If you enjoyed this video, don't forget to like, subscribe, and let us know which sea monster
04:13surprised you the most.
04:15What other myth are still waiting to be discovered?
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