Discovery Channel viewers have been able to look into the eye of the giant squid, in the first ever footage of this elusive predator in its natural environment. In honour of this achievement, I’m republishing this story from last year, about why the squid’s eyes are so ridiculously big, even for its already huge body.

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The giant squid sees the world with eyes the size of soccer balls. They’re at least 25 centimetres (10 inches) across, making them the largest eyes on the planet.