Sperm Whale Pics

Some interesting images of a sperm whale eating a squid have been taken. (News source.)

Humboldt Squid

The range for these giant squid has been expanding over the last several years, and they are more common along the California coast. (News source.)

Squid Reproductive Behavior

A wide range of strange reproductive behavior is noted here.

Deep-Sea Squid Vid

This video (captured by an ROV camera at an off-shore drilling site in the Gulf of Mexico) is worth watching for the sheer strangeness of the deep-sea squid.

Colossal Squid Grow Docile?

New theory: as the colossal squid grows, it becomes less of an active predator. (News source.)

"... as the colossal squid grew bigger, they grew shorter and wider. This was likely to impact their behaviour and their ability to hunt, Dr O’Shea said"

More on Colossal Squid

Some interesting details about the bioluminescence of the colossal squid at NatGeo.

Monster Squid Speculation

A 10 meter squid is being thawed for study. (News source.)

"On a museum blog following the progress of the thaw, Chris Paulin -- who is projects manager at the museum, known as Te Papa Tongarewa, said Tuesday that the beak of the colossal squid has been exposed as the flesh defrosts.
"The size of the lower beak -- used to chop prey into bite sized pieces -- is around 43 to 45 millimetres.
"Colossal squid lower beaks previously found in the stomachs of sperm whales have been as long as 49 millimetres.
"Extrapolating the relationship between the length of the beak and body size from another smaller specimen being examined suggests the species could grow much bigger, Paulin said." ...
"One of the scientists leading the examination, Auckland University of Technology squid expert Steve O'Shea, said it was difficult to say how much bigger the monster squid could grow.
"'What we know from that one measurement is that the beak of this animal from the stomachs of sperm whales are considerably larger,' O'Shea told Radio New Zealand.
"'We make the leap to say the colossal squid grows considerably larger than the 495 kilogram one we are currently defrosting.'"

Squid Beak Design

Engineers are fascinated by the composition gradient in a squid's beak. From the Eurekalert:

"The sharp beak of the Humboldt squid is one of the hardest and stiffest organic materials known. Engineers, biologists, and marine scientists at the University of California, Santa Barbara, have joined forces to discover how the soft, gelatinous squid can operate its knife-like beak without tearing itself to pieces." ...
"The key to the squid beak lies in the gradations of stiffness. The tip is extremely stiff, yet the base is 100 times more compliant, allowing it to blend with surrounding tissue. However, this only works when the base of the beak is wet. After it dries out, the base becomes similarly stiff as the already desiccated beak tip." ...
"'I’d always been skeptical of whether there is any real advantage to "functionally graded" materials, but the squid beak turned me into a believer,' said co-author Frank Zok, professor and associate chair of the Department of Materials at UC Santa Barbara.
"'Here you have a "cutting tool" that’s extremely hard and stiff at its tip and is attached to a material –– the muscular buccal mass –– that has the consistency of Jell-o,' said Zok.
"'You can imagine the problems you’d encounter if you attached a knife blade to a block of Jell-o and tried to use that blade for cutting. The blade would cut through the Jell-o at least as much as the targeted object. In the case of the squid beak, nature takes care of the problem by changing the beak composition progressively, rather than abruptly, so that its tip can pierce prey without harming the squid in the process. It’s a truly fascinating design!'"

Architeuthis

A large giant squid was found washed up on a remote Tasmanian beach. It had a mantle approximately 1 meter wide by 2 meters long, and an overall length of about 8 meters. The tentacles were damaged, so exact length couldn't be determined. (News source.)

Colossal Squid Caught

New Zealand Fishermen Catch Rare Squid

A fishing crew has caught a colossal squid that could weigh a half-ton and prove to be the biggest specimen ever landed, a fisheries official said Thursday.

The squid, weighing an estimated 990 lbs and about 39 feet long, took two hours to land in Antarctic waters, New Zealand Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton said.

The fishermen were catching Patagonian toothfish, sold under the name Chilean sea bass, south of New Zealand "and the squid was eating a hooked toothfish when it was hauled from the deep," Anderton said.

The fishing crew and a fisheries official on board their ship estimated the length and weight of the squid: Detailed, official measurements have not been made. The date when the colossus was caught also was not disclosed.

Colossal squid, known by the scientific name Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, are estimated to grow up to 46 feet long and have long been one of the most mysterious creatures of the deep ocean.
If original estimates are correct, the squid would be 330 pounds heavier than the next biggest specimen ever found.

"I can assure you that this is going to draw phenomenal interest. It is truly amazing," said Dr. Steve O'Shea, a squid expert at the Auckland University of Technology.

If calamari rings were made from the squid they would be the size of tractor tires, he added.
Colossal squid can descend to 6,500 feet and are extremely active, aggressive hunters, he said.

The frozen squid will be transported to New Zealand's national museum, Te Papa, in the capital, Wellington, to be preserved for scientific study.

Marine scientists "will be very interested in this amazing creature as it adds immeasurably to our understanding of the marine environment," Anderton said.

Colossal squid are found in Antarctic waters and are not related to giant squid found round the coast of New Zealand. Giant squid grow up to 39 feet long, but are not as heavy as colossal squid.

Glowing Squid Attack

Japanese scientists have found that one squid uses its bioluminescence to disorient prey during an attack. From BBC News:

"Taningia danae's spectacular light show was revealed in video footage taken in deep waters off Chichijima Island in the North Pacific.
"Japanese scientists believe the creatures use the bright flashes to disorientate potential victims.
"Writing in a Royal Society journal, they say the squid are far from the sluggish, inactive beasts once thought.
"In fact, the footage, taken in 2005 - the first time T. danae had been captured on camera in their natural environment - reveals them to be aggressive predators.
"The squid, which can measure over 2m (7ft) in length, deftly swim backwards and forwards by flapping their large, muscular fins. They are able to alter their direction rapidly by bending their flexible bodies.
"The films, taken at depths of 240m to 940m (790 to 3,080ft), also show the cephalopods reaching speeds of up to 2.5m (8ft) per second as they attack the bait, capturing it with their eight tentacles.

"However, the intense pulses of light that accompanied the ferocious attacks surprised the research team." ...

"The footage reveals the creatures emitting short flashes from light-producing organs, called photophores, on their arms.

"Writing in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the team said: '[The bioluminescence] might act as a blinding flash for prey.'
"The light would disorientate the squid's intended prey, disrupting their defences, they added.
"It could also act, the scientists commented, "as a means of illumination and measuring target distance in an otherwise dark environment."
"However, further investigation revealed the light bursts may also serve another, quite different, purpose away from the hunting field - courtship.
"As the squid drifted around torches that had been attached to the bait rig, they emanated long and short pulses of light.
"The team believe the torch lights may have resembled another glowing T. danae, and the squid were possibly emitting light as courtship behaviour."