When we think of tentacled animals, we usually think of marine creatures. But many other species have them too. For example, the eyestalks of slugs and snails are actually specialised types of tentacles.
And the star-nosed mole has 22 short tentacles around its nose which makes it one of the most sensitive organs in the animal world.
- What are tentacles – and how do they differ to arms?
- Star-nosed mole: how its freaky nose is the most sensitive in the animal kingdom
But some of the longest tentacles in the natural world belong to ocean-based creatures, providing them with benefits such as reaching longer distances to snatch prey. And if they’re laced with venom (like they are in jellyfish), they can also do considerable damage while maintaining a safe distance.
So which creatures have the longest tentacles? Well, measuring these appendages is rather challenging – particularly when many of the contenders are deep-sea creatures (thanks to abyssal gigantism). But science thinks it has the answer – as well as some runners-up.
- Giant deep-sea beasts aren’t just the stuff of legend – here’s how they got so massive
- What the deep-sea robots saw when they went to the darkest depths of our oceans
Longest tentacles in the animal world
Giant Pacific octopus
If you guessed that the giant Pacific octopus would be on this list, then you’d technically be incorrect – as octopuses have arms, not tentacles.
However, their arms are pretty lengthy, sometimes exceeding 4m (13ft). The largest ever specimen reportedly measured 9.75m (32ft) long. The octopus’ arms are covered in suction cups which allows it to grip onto prey – as well as providing an excellent sense of taste and smell.
- This ocean goliath has 9 brains, hunts sharks at night and can grow as long as a school bus
- Giant of the Pacific: diver has close encounter with world's biggest octopus
Nomura’s jellyfish
As one of the largest jellyfish in the world, Nomura’s jellyfish can reach up to 2m in diameter – and its tentacles are long, too. It’s primarily found in the waters between China and Japan and mainly feeds on zooplankton and some larger fish.
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- Can jellyfish sting even when they're dead?
Giant squid
Giant squid have eight arms but use their two feeding tentacles to snatch prey. According to the Smithsonian Institution’s Ocean Portal, giant squids have tentacles that are often double the total length of the giant squid on their own, which allows them to take prey up to 10m (33ft) away.
Colossal squid
The colossal squid is the largest squid in terms of mass, weighing in at 495kg. The squid’s tentacles are only released when catching prey, but stretched out, the colossal squid measures up to 7m (23ft) long. It has rotating hooks on its tentacles, making it unique among squids (other have hooks but these do not rotate).
Lion’s mane jellyfish
The animal with the longest tentacles is also one of the biggest jellyfish in the world: the lion’s mane jellyfish. It has hundreds of tentacles that can reach 30m (98ft) in length which are full of stinging cells. They use these lengthy tentacles to catch fish, as well as smaller jellyfish.
