SQUID, GIANT

A common villain in ocean adventure stories, the giant squid began its relationship with man as a sea monster. Today, its existence is undoubted and it has a scientific name, Architeuthis, but little is known about how it lives. There are several species of giant squid that exceed 7 feet in length. Most squid are small, have a torpedo-shaped body, eight arms plus two longer tentacles. The arms and tentacles are lined with disc-shaped suckers. They come in all sizes and are very numerous in the ocean. Squid, even the occasional giant squid, are prey for whales. There are several accounts of sperm whales battling giant squid. While it’s known that whales eat squid, it’s doubtful that the squid hunt anything larger than themselves. The ultimate length of a giant squid is difficult to determine since the two tentacles extend much longer than the body or other arms. Some recovered specimens washed on shore or found in fishing nets are not complete enough to judge total size. The length of the main body (mantle) can exceed 6 feet with tentacles over 20 feet. There are specimens, body parts and eyewitness accounts that tell of giants far larger than that.

A recent expedition to find and capture a giant squid on film has finally been successful. A group of scientists with a bait line managed to capture the squid rising from the deep. A tentacle broke off which allowed for the scientists to make a positive identification. With their elusive lifestyle they remain mysterious, but we are beginning to learn more about these monsters of the deep.

---Scientia: Knowledge is Power---