Kraken
(Mesonychoteuthis megabathys) The second species of colossal squid.
Modern science at present holds that there is only one species of colossal squid, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni. However, the second species is widely thought by wizards to be descended from members of M. hamiltoni that suffered either from exposure to wizardly leakage associated with the practice of Atlantean wizards, or to proximity to the events associated with the terrible Drowned Song of approximately ten thousand years ago, and the ensuing destruction of the Lost Continent. The resultant genetic and paragenetic damage to the original stock, and inbreeding among such individuals, has produced the kraken of the present era -- a creature with all the dangerous characteristics of the standard colossal squid, but also with a propensity for overshadowing and a sensitivity to wizardry in process that is a constant threat to wizards on errantry under water.
Like their lesser cousins, the giant squid, krakens roam the depths from approximately 600 meters on down. They hunt by bioluminescence in the utter dark, and are unnaturally aggressive even as other cephalopods reckon such things -- apparently attacking their prey for enjoyment as well as for sustenance, and sometimes also going after objects which other squid would never mistake for prey, such as sailing vessels and submarines. It seems likely that many of the more recent tales of "sea monsters" have krakens at their heart: which is probably how wizards came to start using that name for them.
Template:KitAndNita run into numerous krakens during the events of DW -- understandable, since they have become deeply involved in the Song of the Twelve. Kit notes at one point that the krakens have broken their normal eleven-year breeding cycle and have been proliferating at an unusual rate, doubtless in a reaction to the upcoming Song. In the wake of the events of DW, it must be assumed that the unusual increase in the numbers of these creatures will continue to affect the ocean's ecology for some time. The recent increase in sightings (from almost none to one per year or so in recent years) would seem to offer some support for this assumption.
It is also interesting to note that new predators on M. hamiltoni are emerging, chief among them the "sleeper shark" (Somniosus microcephalus), which is reportedly now to be found at the same depths as M. megabathys, and which seems able to successfully kill its prey despite the colossal squid being so much bigger than the predator. It is difficult not to wonder whether some previously unsuspected legacy of the most recent Master-Shark is responsible for this new development. (DW)
(See also: Twelve, Song of the.)