Mammoth Squid

Not all stories of tentacled horrors the size of ships trace their origins to krakens. Many are linked instead to mammoth squid. While they rival krakens in size, mammoth squids have animal intellect and motivation, operating off of instinct and hunger rather than a willful urge to dominate lesser creatures. Thus, victims can't beg for their lives or bargain for peace, though a vast quantity of food might distract a mammoth squid.

Mammoth squids tend to live as solitary creatures in the deepest reaches of the ocean, and when they move against ships on the surface above, it is often the result of being pushed out of their territories by even more dangerous dwellers below, supernatural manipulation, or a compulsion to seek new domains when their deep hunting grounds are scarce of prey.

Other Squids

Squids are a well-known oceanic predator, but most are much smaller than the mammoth squid. Even the notorious giant squid is only a fraction of the mammoth squid's size. At the other end of the scale, beyond mere animalistic dangers of the depths, krakens often regard mammoth squids as pawns to train and manipulate as guardians or pets—or merely as yet another thing to feast upon.