Giant Squid and Whale Sharks Aren't As Big As People Think

When it comes to determining the size of giant squid and other large sea animals, humans have a tendency to exaggerate, a new study suggests.

A team of researchers compared scientific and popular media reports of body sizes for 25 species of marine creatures, including whales, sharks, squids, and other giant ocean dwellers, and found that most of the animals were smaller than what was reported.

"It's human nature to tell a "fishing story,'" said Craig McClain, a marine biologist at the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center in Durham, North Carolina. In reality, "we're horrible at saying what the size of something is, without actually taking a measurement."

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