Author Topic: 550 Pound Squid Found (Read 7511 times)

Richard Myers · « **on:** July 22, 2002, 09:27:00 PM »

The largest squid ever found washed ashore in Australia. It appears to be an unknown species.

Joan · « **Reply #1 on:** July 26, 2002, 03:18:00 AM »

This is the big guy found :

Giant squid are carnivorous mollusks that have a long, torpedo shaped body. At one end, surrounding a beak-like mouth strong enough to cut through steel cable, are five pairs of arms. One pair, thinner and longer than the rest, are used to catch food and bring it to the mouth. Just past the mouth are the eyes. Eyes that are the largest in the animal kingdom, getting as big as eighteen inches across.

The largest giant squid ever measured was discovered at Timble Tickle on November 2, 1878. The body of the squid was twenty feet from tail to beak. The longer tentacles measured thirty five feet and were tipped with four inch suckers.

Giant Squid have been seen in battle with adult whales too. In 1965, a Soviet whaler watched a battle between a squid and a 40 ton sperm whale. In this case neither were victorious. The strangled whale was found floating in the sea with the squid's tentacles wrapped around the whale's throat. The squid's severed head was found in the whale's stomach.

The blood of squids does not carry oxygen very well at higher temperatures. A squid will actually suffocate in warm water.Warm water will cause a giant squid to rise to the surface and not be able to get back down. With water temperature even higher at the surface, the squid maybe doomed. It is not surprising then, that most squid groundings occur near where two ocean streams, one cold and one warm, meet.

The eyes of the Giant Squid are the largest ever found in the animal kingdom. They are compared to the size of a hubcap, a volley ball, or a human head. With these eyes, in the dimmest of light of the deepest depth of the ocean, the Squid can find more easily it's next meal.The food taken into it's mouth going down it's esophagus which path leads through it's brain before landing into it's stomach.

I thoroughly recommend logging onto the Discovery Channel site Click Here where you will have a great video ride down into deep ocean for a look at Giant Squid.

Joan

Michelle · « **Reply #2 on:** July 30, 2002, 03:38:00 PM »

Joan, in one of my ds quests for knowledge, we ran across that video page on Discovery--he was so thrilled. Lo and behold, the next week or so in Sabbath School, the guest teacher was talking about squids. It was my son's first month in kindergarten SS and he didn't know the protocol (keep your mouth shut! especially with an older speaker who does not want to listen to children) and he piped up and started telling the lecturer all about squids (definitely one of those crawl under the table moments for a parent!). One of the leaders in K told me, I didn't know that much about squids!

Interesting picture as well!

Mimi · « **Reply #3 on:** June 05, 2012, 05:20:47 AM »

Among my friends, it is no secret that I love to hear any news of giant squid sightings. If there is a new documentary or even a small clip on that huge beast living in deep waters, I want to see it!

Yahoo is reporting of a fisherman in Australia who found one, though recently dead:

Monday, June 4, 2012 4:35pm PDT
Anglers' extraordinary find is no sea monster, but a giant squid
By: Pete Thomas, GrindTV.com

Al McGlashan, a prominent big-game fisherman in Australia, ventured to sea Friday in search of tuna and swordfish. The highlight, however, was the bizarre discovery of a fresh giant squid carcass.

Giant squid are elusive, mysterious denizens of the ocean's darkest depths, believed to have spawned ancient tales of sea monsters. To find even parts of a dead specimen is rare, but to find a specimen largely intact and still with its bright-orange coloration is extraordinary.

"In all my time on the water -- and I've spent 200-plus days out there -- I've never seen anything like it," McGlashan said in a phone interview.

The discovery occurred 30 miles off Jervis Bay in New South Wales. On board was McGlashan's fishing partner, Justin Lewis, a film crew and Phil Bolton, who works for the regional fisheries department.

The crew obtained underwater footage of the squid being preyed upon by a blue shark, which is posted below.

Squid story

If you surf news articles on these interesting creatures, you will find most sightings are in and around Australia/New Zealand.

Vicki · « **Reply #4 on:** June 05, 2012, 07:00:45 AM »

I was wondering what attracted them to the Australia/New Zealand area. The warmer water? But after reading the previous posts I see that the warmer water can be deadly for them. Perhaps they are found in that area because of the strong currents.

We studied giant squids briefly in science this year. The curriculum we use has web links, but we only use them for extra-curricular activity. I will send son on a search to see if there are any good sites on giant squids since you are interested. He will be thrilled to see what he can find for you.

Mimi · « **Reply #5 on:** June 05, 2012, 08:16:48 AM »

That will be thrilling, Vicki! Thank you and thank son for me!

Vicki · « **Reply #6 on:** June 05, 2012, 10:16:14 AM »

There were 2 links, both to National Geographic News. You have probably seen them already, they are from 2010. Son was pleased to share.

This one has a lot of information on the 2nd page. I don't care for the title.

This article has a photo of a dead giant squid.

Fascinating things hide in those deep waters.

Mimi · « **Reply #7 on:** June 05, 2012, 10:31:28 AM »

Oh yes on his first link! I remember that footage! How exciting to finally see one live in the deep, deep sea! Too bad his tentacle was torn off in the process.

Richard Myers · « **Reply #8 on:** June 05, 2012, 11:19:56 PM »

Quote from: Sybil on June 05, 2012, 05:20:47 AM

Monday, June 4, 2012 4:35pm PDT
Anglers' extraordinary find is no sea monster, but a giant squid
By: Pete Thomas, GrindTV.com

"In all my time on the water -- and I've spent 200-plus days out there -- I've never seen anything like it," McGlashan said in a phone interview.

Must be a typo. 200 days on the water? He must be a kid?

Weekends for one year is 104 days. One could do that working full time during the week.

Vicki · « **Reply #9 on:** June 06, 2012, 06:58:05 AM »

He's a fisherman.

Richard Myers · « **Reply #10 on:** June 06, 2012, 11:12:59 AM »

Probably so, maybe he means 200 days at one time!

colporteur · « **Reply #11 on:** June 06, 2012, 02:46:20 PM »

I think he meant total time over a period of years rather than consecutive days in a year. It would be like a pilot saying he has spend 200 days of flight time in. He was making a statement much the same as " in all my life (days of the water fishing) I have never seen anything like it.

I didn't look that closely but since he used rod and line I would say he is a sport fisherman and was talking about total time spent on the water over a period of years.

Richard Myers · « **Reply #12 on:** June 06, 2012, 09:13:53 PM »

I believe so. My thought was it really is not very much time as he was making it sound. Every weekend for two years is 208 days.

Now, when I used to get involved in something, it was just a little more over a period of years. Just my vacation time when I water-skied was 140 days in ten years. Add all the weekends and days during the week and it will be way over 200. I even skied in the winter some times. And that is only ten years. I skied for over 40 years.

Yes, I guess to him or most of us, 200 days of fishing would be a lot. But, the fishermen I know would laugh at 200 days unless he was a kid and had only just begun his fishing career. Why, I knew some fishermen who put in 200 days in one year!!

And, knowing fisherman, I am with Vicki, that was probably a typo and on of the 0s got dropped....or maybe even two!

We got a little off topic. Sorry Sybil. Was the fisherman the one who weighed the Squid?

Mimi · « **Reply #13 on:** June 07, 2012, 05:09:54 AM »

I don't know. Going back to the video of the shark eating it is not something I want to do just to discover who weighed it.

I will say this of the number of days in question: a professional fisherman with clients wanting trophies will spend that much time on the water. My father is one such man.

colporteur · « **Reply #14 on:** June 07, 2012, 08:31:44 AM »

Quote from: Sybil on June 07, 2012, 05:09:54 AM

I don't know. Going back to the video of the shark eating it is not something I want to do just to discover who weighed it. I will say this of the number of days in question: a professional fisherman with clients wanting trophies will spend that much time on the water. My father is one such man.

Yes if he was an active fishing guide service that would be normal in a year and only 4 days a week. Unless he has only been in business a relatively few years he should have logged a few thousands hours on the water. While 200 hours is a fair amount of time it is not all that impressive. While I may be proven wrong my guess is that he is a private weekend type fisherman and to him 200 hours over a few years seems like a lot. When I used to ice fish, each winter, I would estimate that I spent at least lengthy portions of a day, approaching 1000 days on the ice and that was only during a three month period each year for 15 years. I realize today that while there were benefits such as a lot of fresh air and exercise chopping ice and moving shacks around the lake it was comparitively speaking a waste of time. What I mean is compared to fishing for men. I guess we are majoring in minors. At least we are exercising our analytical synaps.

Fortunately the giant squids are deep. Imagine while swimming in the ocean meeting up with a hungry guy like that licking his tentacles.

Mimi · « **Reply #15 on:** June 07, 2012, 09:04:12 AM »

That is the horror of the deep I avoid like the plague! Do you remember this photoshopped picture? It is indicative of what sits in my mind when entering the waters of the ocean.

Give me a lake, even filled with its dangers, over that of the massive creatures of the oceans.

Richard Myers · « **Reply #16 on:** June 07, 2012, 10:27:03 AM »

And, how about those tiny jelly fish in Australia that can kill you quickly. You can't even see them coming! At least in the high mountains of the Southwest, you can see the bears and lions coming, most of the time!

colporteur · « **Reply #17 on:** June 07, 2012, 11:40:40 AM »

Quote from: Richard Myers on June 07, 2012, 10:27:03 AM

And, how about those tiny jelly fish in Australia that can kill you quickly. You can't even see them coming! At least in the high mountains of the Southwest, you can see the bears and lions coming, most of the time!

That was my thought too about land animals. At least we have a spark of a chance on land. In the water we are the most helpless being in the sea. Even if one could see something coming there is little the average person you can do about it. We cannot even out swim a jellyfish. I have done a little snorkeling. While being in the ocean is an adventure it is not any easy feeling when you realize that you could be dinner, you cannot run, and of course, you cannot even breath in that environment. We have only a little better chance in the ocean than a fish has on land.

We watched on a dvd a great white shark leap entirely out of the water (all of him) , unlock his jaws and snap up a large seal (all of him) in a split second and in mid air. It was the epitomy of aggressive, violent action. I would much rather watch a newborn fawn.

LindaRS · « **Reply #18 on:** June 07, 2012, 07:40:07 PM »

Quote from: Sybil on June 07, 2012, 09:04:12 AM

That is the horror of the deep I avoid like the plague! Do you remember this photoshopped picture? It is indicative of what sits in my mind when entering the waters of the ocean.

Give me a lake, even filled with its dangers, over that of the massive creatures of the oceans.

Lakes, rivers, not so safe any more either. There's that amoeba that can enter through the nose and kills by destroying the brain. Several people have died from it. I'd rather wade in the ocean.

Mimi · « **Reply #19 on:** June 07, 2012, 08:12:25 PM »

And there you have gone and ruined it for me! Have mercy! Alas, I am left to sterile swimming pools, or worse yet, a run through the sprinkler.