Netflix’s Below turns a giant cephalopod trapped near a melting iceberg into a coastal nightmare. Mudder is fictional, and the series stretches animal behavior for horror. But its ingredients—giant squid, deep-water habitats, and warming oceans—have real scientific counterparts.
Quick answer: Giant squid are real deep-sea animals, and changes in ocean temperature and chemistry can affect marine life. What is not realistic is a giant squid deliberately infecting a town through iceberg mucus or hunting people as Mudder does. Netflix’s science explainer discusses the difference with marine biologist Dr. Annie Mercier.
Giant squid really exist—and they are still mysterious
Giant squid belong to the cephalopod group, alongside octopuses, cuttlefish, and smaller squid. Their large eyes, flexible bodies, powerful arms, and suckers make them extraordinary deep-sea animals. Netflix’s Tudum feature, which consulted Memorial University marine biologist Annie Mercier, says giant squid commonly reach around 33 feet in length.
They generally live far below the surface, where pressure, darkness, and distance make direct observation difficult. Scientists learn from recovered specimens and underwater cameras. That uncertainty has inspired legends for centuries, but “mysterious” does not mean “supernatural.” The real animal is fascinating without turning it into a town-stalking monster.
Could a squid as large as Mudder attack people?
Below heightens the danger for drama. Mudder threatens boats, pursues people, and devastates the harbor. Real giant squid are not known to behave like that, and there is no reliable evidence that they routinely hunt humans.
Cephalopods have powerful beaks and can use their arms and suckers to seize prey. Squid can leave marks on other large marine animals. That gives the series a biological starting point, but it does not make its attacks a realistic prediction of what would happen in the North Atlantic.
The show’s emotional pivot is Mudder’s apparent effort to protect her offspring. Parental defense exists across many species, but the series’ intelligence, aggression, and near-human decision-making are storytelling, not established giant-squid behavior.
The iceberg has a real climate connection
The iceberg becomes a container for the creature and its eggs, while melting ice helps spread the crisis into town. That mechanism is fictional: there is no known giant squid whose secretions turn melting ice into a human-targeting agent.
The broader connection between warming conditions and marine ecosystems is real. Ocean warming can shift where species live, alter food webs, and pressure animals adapted to particular temperature ranges. Ocean chemistry also changes as the sea absorbs carbon dioxide, with potential consequences for marine organisms.
This does not mean every cold-water species responds the same way, or that one temperature threshold explains survival. Species differ in their life cycles, habitats, and ability to adapt. The show compresses complicated science into a simple dramatic idea: an animal’s environment can change faster than it can cope.
Can warming water threaten eggs and young marine animals?
Yes. Temperature can be critical during early development, though the details vary by species. Eggs and larvae often have narrower environmental tolerances than adults. If conditions move outside a species’ viable range, development, hatching, growth, or survival can suffer.
That is why the ending’s revelation about Mudder’s offspring lands as more than a monster-movie twist. Its reproductive future is threatened by a habitat that no longer provides the conditions it needs. In real marine biology, temperature is one variable among several, alongside oxygen, acidity, food availability, and seasonal conditions.
What Below gets right about scientific uncertainty
The series captures a familiar problem: when an unexplained event hits a remote community, fear and rumors can outrun evidence. A scientist has to separate observations from assumptions, test explanations, and admit what remains unknown.
That is close to how marine research works. Deep-sea animals are difficult to observe, and one dramatic encounter rarely answers every question. Researchers combine specimens, video, measurements, and repeat observations. A compelling explanation is not necessarily a proven one.
Fonda’s effort to understand the creature rather than simply destroy it reflects the value of careful investigation. In real life, an unfamiliar animal may be dangerous in a particular circumstance, a sign of ecosystem change, or simply a species that has not been studied well. Understanding the evidence is not the same as assuming every unknown creature is harmless.
What is fiction, and what is based on science?
- Real: Giant squid exist, live in deep water, and remain difficult to study.
- Real: Marine organisms can be affected by temperature, ocean chemistry, oxygen levels, and habitat disruption.
- Plausible in broad terms: Environmental conditions can influence reproductive success.
- Fictional: Mudder’s town-wide effects, the iceberg-borne infection, and the scale of its attacks.
Why the science makes Below scarier
The most unsettling idea is not simply that a giant squid might be waiting under an iceberg. It is that a community can misread a crisis when fear, money, and political pressure shape what people believe. The creature looks like the obvious enemy, while the story also points toward warming waters and powerful interests willing to treat a town as disposable.
The metaphor works best when the science stays clear. Real giant squid are not villains, and climate change does not operate through one cinematic mechanism. Ecosystems respond to multiple pressures, and some effects are difficult to reverse.
The bottom line: The iceberg monster in Below is fictional, but giant squid biology and the ecological stakes of warming oceans are real. The show borrows scientific uncertainty and environmental vulnerability to build its horror, then amplifies both for television.
Frequently asked questions
Is the monster in Netflix’s Below a real animal?
No. Mudder is fictional. The series draws on real giant squid, but the creature’s behavior and its effects on the town are invented.
Do giant squid live in the North Atlantic?
Yes. Giant squid occur in deep ocean waters, including the North Atlantic, but are rarely seen alive.
Are giant squid dangerous to humans?
There is no reliable evidence that giant squid routinely hunt people. The attacks depicted in Below are fictionalized.
Can climate change affect squid and other marine animals?
Yes. Temperature, oxygen availability, ocean chemistry, and food supply can affect marine species, with impacts depending on the species and life stage.
Is Below scientifically accurate?
It uses real marine biology as inspiration, but it is a horror thriller, not a scientific documentary. Its infection mechanism and dramatic attacks are fiction.
Sources and further reading
- Netflix Tudum: Could the Sea Creature in Below Really Exist?
- NOAA Ocean Exploration: Giant Squid footage
- NOAA CoastWatch: Climate-driven shifts in squid fishing grounds
- Watch Below on Netflix
By Shivam Das
