Giant squid
Encyclopedia
The giant squid is a deep-ocean dwelling squid
in the family
Architeuthidae, represented by as many as eight species
. Giant squid can grow to a tremendous size
: recent estimates put the maximum size at 13 metres (42.7 ft) for females and 10 metres (32.8 ft) for males from caudal fin
to the tip of the two long tentacles (second only to the colossal squid
at an estimated 14 metres (45.9 ft), one of the largest living organisms
). The mantle
is about 2 metres (6.6 ft) long (more for females, less for males), and the length of the squid excluding its tentacles is about 5 metres (16.4 ft). There have been claims of specimens measuring 20 metres (65.6 ft) or more, but no giant squid of such size has been scientifically documented.
On September 30, 2004, researchers from the National Science Museum of Japan
and the Ogasawara Whale Watching Association
took the first images of a live giant squid in its natural habitat. Several of the 556 photographs were released a year later. The same team successfully filmed a live adult giant squid for the first time on December 4, 2006.
(torso), eight arms
, and two longer tentacles (the longest known tentacles of any cephalopod). The arms and tentacles account for much of the squid's great length, making giant squid much lighter than their chief predators, sperm whale
s. Scientifically documented specimens have masses of hundreds, rather than thousands, of kilograms.
The inside surfaces of the arms and tentacles are lined with hundreds of sub-spherical suction
cups, 2 to 5 cm (0.78740157480315 to 2 in) in diameter
, each mounted on a stalk. The circumference
of these suckers is lined with sharp, finely serrated rings of chitin
. The perforation of these teeth and the suction of the cups serve to attach the squid to its prey. It is common to find circular scars from the suckers on or close to the head of sperm whales that have attacked giant squid. Each arm and tentacle is divided into three regions – carpus
("wrist"), manus
("hand") and dactylus
("finger"). The carpus has a dense cluster of cups, in six or seven irregular, transverse rows. The manus is broader, close to the end of the arm, and has enlarged suckers in two medial rows. The dactylus is the tip. The bases of all the arms and tentacles are arranged in a circle surrounding the animal's single parrot-like beak, as in other cephalopods.
Giant squid have small fin
s at the rear of the mantle used for locomotion. Like other cephalopods, giant squid are propelled by jet
– by pushing water through its mantle cavity through the funnel, in gentle, rhythmic pulses. They can also move quickly by expanding the cavity to fill it with water, then contracting muscles to jet water through the funnel. Giant squid breathe using two large gills inside the mantle cavity. The circulatory system is closed, which is a distinct characteristic of cephalopods. Like other squid, they contain dark ink used to deter predators.
Giant squid have a sophisticated nervous system
and complex brain, attracting great interest from scientists. They also have the largest eye
s of any living creature except perhaps colossal squid
– over 30 centimetre (0.984251968503937 ft) in diameter
. Large eyes can better detect light (including bioluminescent light), which is scarce in deep water. It is thought the giant squid cannot see colour, but they can probably discern small differences in tone, which is important in the low-light conditions of the deep ocean.
Giant squid and some other large squid species maintain neutral buoyancy
in seawater
through an ammonium chloride
solution which flows throughout their body and is lighter than seawater. This differs from the method of flotation used by fish, which involves a gas-filled swim bladder. The solution tastes somewhat like salmiakki
and makes giant squid unattractive for general human consumption.
Like all cephalopod
s, giant squid have organs called statocyst
s to sense their orientation and motion in water. The age of a giant squid can be determined by "growth rings" in the statocyst's "statolith", similar to determining the age of a tree by counting its rings. Much of what is known about giant squid age is based on estimates of the growth rings and from undigested beaks found in the stomach
s of sperm whales.
and the second largest of all extant invertebrate
s. It is only exceeded by the colossal squid
, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, which may have a mantle
nearly twice as long. Several extinct cephalopods, such as the Cretaceous
vampyromorphid
Tusoteuthis
, the Cretaceous coleoid
Yezoteuthis, and the Ordovician
nautiloid
Cameroceras may have grown even larger.
Giant squid size, particularly total length, has often been exaggerated. Reports of specimens reaching and even exceeding 20 metres (65.6 ft) are widespread, but no animals approaching this size have been scientifically documented. According to giant squid expert Dr. Steve O'Shea
, such lengths were likely achieved by greatly stretching the two tentacles like elastic bands.
Based on the examination of 130 specimens and of beaks found inside sperm whale
s, giant squids' mantles are not known to exceed 2.25 metres (7.4 ft). Including the head and arms, but excluding the tentacles, the length very rarely exceeds 5 metres (16.4 ft). Maximum total length, when measured relaxed post mortem
, is estimated at 13 metres (42.7 ft) for females and 10 metres (32.8 ft) for males from caudal fin to the tip of the two long tentacles.
Giant squid exhibit sexual dimorphism
. Maximum weight is estimated at 275 kilograms (606.3 lb) for females and 150 kilograms (330.7 lb) for males.
s, sometimes more than 5 kilograms (11 lb), that average 0.5 to 1.4 mm (0.0196850393700787 to 0.0551181102362205 in) long and 0.3 to 0.7 mm (0.0118110236220472 to 0.0275590551181102 in) wide. Females have a single median ovary
in the rear end of the mantle cavity and paired convoluted oviduct
s where mature eggs pass exiting through the oviducal glands, then through the nidamental gland
s. As in other squid, these glands produce a gelatinous material used to keep the eggs together once they are laid.
In males, as with most other cephalopods, the single, posterior testis produces sperm that move into a complex system of glands that manufacture the spermatophore
s. These are stored in the elongate sac, or Needham's sac, that terminates in the penis
from which they are expelled during mating. The penis is prehensile, over 90 centimeters long, and extends from inside the mantle.
How the sperm is transferred to the egg mass is much debated, as giant squid lack the hectocotylus
used for reproduction in many other cephalopod
s. It may be transferred in sacs of spermatophores, called spermatangia, which the male injects into the female's arms. This is suggested by a female specimen recently found in Tasmania
, having a small subsidiary tendril
attached to the base of each arm.
Post-larva
l juveniles have been discovered in surface waters off New Zealand, and there are plans to capture more and maintain them in an aquarium
to learn more about the creature.
(tongue with small, file-like teeth) before it reaches the esophagus
. They are believed to be solitary hunters, as only individual giant squid have been caught in fishing nets. Although the majority of giant squid caught by trawl in New Zealand waters have been associated with the local hoki
(Macruronus novaezelandiae) fishery, hoki do not feature in the squid's diet. This suggests that giant squid and hoki prey on the same animals.
s. It has also been suggested that pilot whale
s may feed on giant squid. Juveniles are preyed on by deep sea shark
s and other fish. Because sperm whales are skilled at locating giant squid, scientists have tried to observe them to study the squid.
Giant squid are very widespread, occurring in all of the world's oceans. They are usually found near continental and island slopes from the North Atlantic Ocean, especially Newfoundland, Norway, the northern British Isles
, Spain and the oceanic islands of the Azores
and Madeira
, to the South Atlantic around southern Africa, the North Pacific around Japan, and the southwestern Pacific around New Zealand and Australia. Specimens are rare in tropical and polar latitudes.
The vertical distribution of giant squid is incompletely known, but data from trawled specimens and sperm whale diving behaviour suggests it spans a large range of depths, possibly 300–1000 m.
may propose as many as eight species or as few as one. The broadest list is:
It is probable that not all of these are distinct species. No genetic or physical basis for distinguishing between them has been proposed, as evidenced by the placenames – of location of specimen capture – used to describe several of them. The rarity of observations of specimens and the extreme difficulty of observing them alive, tracking their movements, or studying their mating habits militates against a complete understanding.
In the 1984 FAO Species Catalogue of the Cephalopods of the World, C.F.E. Roper, M.J. Sweeney and C.F. Nauen wrote:
Kir Nazimovich Nesis (1982) considered that only three species were likely to be valid.
In 1991, Frederick Aldrich
of the Memorial University of Newfoundland
wrote:
In a letter to Richard Ellis
dated June 18, 1996, Martina Roeleveld of the South African Museum wrote:
In Cephalopods: A World Guide (2000), Mark Norman
writes the following:
Aristotle
, who lived in the fourth century B.C., already described a large squid, which he called teuthus, distinguishing it from the smaller squid, the teuthis. He mentions that "of the calamaries the so-called teuthus is much bigger than the teuthis; for teuthi [plural of teuthus] have been found as much as five ell
s long."
Pliny the Elder
, living in the first century A.D., also described a gigantic squid in his Natural History, with the head "as big as a cask", arms 30 feet (9.1 m) long, and carcass weighing 700 pounds (317.5 kg).
Tales of giant squid have been common among mariners since ancient times, and may have led to the Norse
legend of the kraken
, a tentacled sea monster
as large as an island capable of engulfing and sinking any ship. Japetus Steenstrup
, the describer of Architeuthis, suggested a giant squid was the species described as a sea monk
to the Danish king Christian III
c.1550. The Lusca
of the Caribbean
and Scylla
in Greek mythology
may also derive from giant squid sightings. Eyewitness accounts of other sea monsters like the sea serpent
are also thought to be mistaken interpretations of giant squid.
Steenstrup wrote a number of papers on giant squid in the 1850s. He first used the term "Architeuthus" (this was the spelling he chose) in a paper in 1857. A portion of a giant squid was secured by the French gunboat Alecton in 1861 leading to wider recognition of the genus in the scientific community. From 1870 to 1880, many squid were stranded on the shores of Newfoundland. For example, a specimen washed ashore in Thimble Tickle Bay
, Newfoundland on November 2, 1878; its mantle was reported to be 6.1 metres (20 ft) long, with one tentacle 10.7 metres (35.1 ft) long, and it was estimated as weighing 2.2 tonnes. In 1873, a squid "attacked" a minister and a young boy in a dory
in Bell Island
, Newfoundland. Many strandings also occurred in New Zealand during the late 19th century.
Although strandings continue to occur sporadically throughout the world, none have been as frequent as those at Newfoundland and New Zealand in the 19th century. It is not known why giant squid become stranded on shore, but it may be because the distribution of deep, cold water where squid live is temporarily altered. Many scientists who have studied squid mass strandings believe that they are cyclical and predictable. The length of time between strandings is not known, but was proposed to be 90 years by Architeuthis specialist Frederick Aldrich
. Aldrich used this value to correctly predict a relatively small stranding that occurred between 1964 and 1966.
In 2004, another giant squid, later named "Archie", was caught off the coast of the Falkland Islands
by a trawler. It was 8.62 metres (28.3 ft) long and was sent to the Natural History Museum
in London to be studied and preserved. It was put on display on March 1, 2006 at the Darwin Centre. The find of such a large, complete specimen is very rare, as most specimens are in a poor condition, having washed up dead on beaches or been retrieved from the stomach of dead sperm whales.
Researchers undertook a painstaking process to preserve the body. It was transported to England on ice aboard the trawler; then it was defrosted, which took about four days. The major difficulty was that thawing the thick mantle took much longer than the tentacles. To prevent the tentacles from rot
ting, scientists covered them in ice packs, and bathed the mantle in water. Then they injected the squid with a formol-saline solution to prevent rotting. The creature is now on show in a 9 metres (29.5 ft) long glass tank at the Darwin Centre of the Natural History Museum
.
In December 2005, the Melbourne Aquarium
in Australia paid A$100,000 for the intact body of a giant squid, preserved in a giant block of ice
, which had been caught by fishermen off the coast of New Zealand's South Island
that year.
The number of known giant squid specimens was close to 600 in 2004, and new ones are reported each year. The search for a live Architeuthis specimen includes attempts to find live young, including larvae. The larvae closely resemble those of Nototodarus
and Onykia
, but are distinguished by the shape of the mantle attachment to the head, the tentacle suckers, and the beaks.
to never have been photographed alive, either in the wild or in captivity. Marine biologist and author Richard Ellis
described it as "the most elusive image in natural history".
In 1993, an image purporting to show a diver with a live giant squid (identified as Architeuthis dux) was published in the book European Seashells. However, the animal in this photograph was a sick or dying Onykia robusta, not a giant squid.
The first footage of live larval giant squid ever captured on film was in 2001. The footage was shown on Chasing Giants: On the Trail of the Giant Squid on the Discovery Channel
.
The first image of a live mature giant squid was taken on January 15, 2002, on Goshiki beach, Amino Cho, Kyoto Prefecture
, Japan. The animal, which measured about 2 metres (6.6 ft) in mantle
length and 4 metres (13.1 ft) in total length, was found near the water's surface. It was captured and tied to a quay, where it died overnight. The specimen was identified by Koutarou Tsuchiya of the Tokyo University of Fisheries. It is on display at the National Science Museum of Japan
.
(National Science Museum of Japan
) and Kyoichi Mori
(Ogasawara Whale Watching Association
). Their teams had worked together for nearly two years to accomplish this. They used a five-ton fishing boat and only two crew members. The images were created on their third trip to a known sperm whale
hunting ground 970 kilometres (602.7 mi) south of Tokyo, where they had dropped a 900 metres (2,952.8 ft) line baited with squid and shrimp. The line also held a camera and a flash. After over 20 tries that day, an 8 metres (26.2 ft) giant squid attacked the lure and snagged its tentacle
. The camera took over 500 photos before the squid managed to break free after four hours. The squid's 5.5 metres (18 ft) tentacle remained attached to the lure. Later DNA
tests confirmed the animal as a giant squid.
On September 27, 2005, Kubodera and Mori released the photographs to the world. The photo sequence, taken at a depth of 900 metres (2,952.8 ft) off Japan's Ogasawara Islands
, shows the squid homing in on the baited line and enveloping it in "a ball of tentacles." The researchers were able to locate the likely general location of giant squid by closely tailing the movements of sperm whales. According to Kubodera, "we knew that they fed on the squid, and we knew when and how deep they dived, so we used them to lead us to the squid." Kubodera and Mori reported their observations in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society
.
Among other things, the observations demonstrate actual hunting behaviors of adult Architeuthis, a subject on which there had been much speculation. The photographs showed an aggressive hunting pattern by the baited squid, leading to it impaling a tentacle on the bait ball's hooks. This may disprove the theory that the giant squid is a drifter which eats whatever floats by, rarely moving so as to conserve energy. It seems that the species has a much more belligerent feeding technique.
, 1000 kilometres (621.4 mi) south of Tokyo, by researchers from the National Science Museum of Japan led by Tsunemi Kubodera. It was a small female about 3.5 metres (11.5 ft) long and weighing 50 kilograms (110.2 lb). The bait used by the scientists initially attracted a medium-sized squid measuring around 55 centimetres (21.7 in), which in turn attracted the giant squid. It was pulled aboard the research vessel but died in the process.
The elusive nature of the giant squid and its terrifying appearance have firmly established its place in the human imagination. Representations of the giant squid have been known from early legends of the Kraken
through books such as Moby-Dick
and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
on to novels such as Ian Fleming's Dr. No and Peter Benchley's Beast (adapted as a film called The Beast
) and modern animated television programs.
In particular, the image of a giant squid locked in battle with a sperm whale
is a common one, although the squid is in fact the whale's prey, and not an equal combatant.
Squid
Squid are cephalopods of the order Teuthida, which comprises around 300 species. Like all other cephalopods, squid have a distinct head, bilateral symmetry, a mantle, and arms. Squid, like cuttlefish, have eight arms arranged in pairs and two, usually longer, tentacles...
in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Architeuthidae, represented by as many as eight species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
. Giant squid can grow to a tremendous size
Deep-sea gigantism
In zoology, deep-sea gigantism, also known as abyssal gigantism, is the tendency for species of crustaceans, invertebrates and other deep-sea-dwelling animals to display a larger size than their shallow-water counterparts...
: recent estimates put the maximum size at 13 metres (42.7 ft) for females and 10 metres (32.8 ft) for males from caudal fin
Fish anatomy
Fish anatomy is primarily governed by the physical characteristics of water, which is much denser than air, holds a relatively small amount of dissolved oxygen, and absorbs more light than air does.- Body :...
to the tip of the two long tentacles (second only to the colossal squid
Colossal Squid
The colossal squid , sometimes called the Antarctic or giant cranch squid, is believed to be the largest squid species in terms of mass. It is the only known member of the genus Mesonychoteuthis...
at an estimated 14 metres (45.9 ft), one of the largest living organisms
Largest organisms
The largest organism found on Earth can be measured using a variety of methods. It could be defined as the largest by volume, mass, height or length. Some organisms group together to form a superorganism, though this cannot truly be classed as one large organism...
). The mantle
Mantle (mollusc)
The mantle is a significant part of the anatomy of molluscs: it is the dorsal body wall which covers the visceral mass and usually protrudes in the form of flaps well beyond the visceral mass itself.In many, but by no means all, species of molluscs, the epidermis of the mantle secretes...
is about 2 metres (6.6 ft) long (more for females, less for males), and the length of the squid excluding its tentacles is about 5 metres (16.4 ft). There have been claims of specimens measuring 20 metres (65.6 ft) or more, but no giant squid of such size has been scientifically documented.
On September 30, 2004, researchers from the National Science Museum of Japan
National Science Museum of Japan
The is located in the northeast corner of Ueno park in Tokyo. Opened in 1871, the museum has had several names, including Ministry of Education Museum, Tokyo Museum, Tokyo Science Museum, the National Science Museum of Japan, and currently the National Museum of Nature and Science as of 2007...
and the Ogasawara Whale Watching Association
Ogasawara Whale Watching Association
The Ogasawara Whale Watching Association is an association that regulates whale watching in the Ogasawara Islands. Since 1989 the Ogasawara Whale Watching Association has been conducting research on and educating people about whales...
took the first images of a live giant squid in its natural habitat. Several of the 556 photographs were released a year later. The same team successfully filmed a live adult giant squid for the first time on December 4, 2006.
Morphology and anatomy
Like all squid, a giant squid has a mantleMantle (mollusc)
The mantle is a significant part of the anatomy of molluscs: it is the dorsal body wall which covers the visceral mass and usually protrudes in the form of flaps well beyond the visceral mass itself.In many, but by no means all, species of molluscs, the epidermis of the mantle secretes...
(torso), eight arms
Cephalopod arm
A cephalopod arm is distinct from a tentacle, though the terms are often used interchangeably.Generally, cephalopod arms have suckers along most of their length, as opposed to tentacles, which have suckers only near their ends. Octopuses have eight arms and no tentacles, while squid and cuttlefish...
, and two longer tentacles (the longest known tentacles of any cephalopod). The arms and tentacles account for much of the squid's great length, making giant squid much lighter than their chief predators, sperm whale
Sperm Whale
The sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus, is a marine mammal species, order Cetacea, a toothed whale having the largest brain of any animal. The name comes from the milky-white waxy substance, spermaceti, found in the animal's head. The sperm whale is the only living member of genus Physeter...
s. Scientifically documented specimens have masses of hundreds, rather than thousands, of kilograms.
Suction
Suction is the flow of a fluid into a partial vacuum, or region of low pressure. The pressure gradient between this region and the ambient pressure will propel matter toward the low pressure area. Suction is popularly thought of as an attractive effect, which is incorrect since vacuums do not...
cups, 2 to 5 cm (0.78740157480315 to 2 in) in diameter
Diameter
In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the center of the circle and whose endpoints are on the circle. The diameters are the longest chords of the circle...
, each mounted on a stalk. The circumference
Circumference
The circumference is the distance around a closed curve. Circumference is a special perimeter.-Circumference of a circle:The circumference of a circle is the length around it....
of these suckers is lined with sharp, finely serrated rings of chitin
Chitin
Chitin n is a long-chain polymer of a N-acetylglucosamine, a derivative of glucose, and is found in many places throughout the natural world...
. The perforation of these teeth and the suction of the cups serve to attach the squid to its prey. It is common to find circular scars from the suckers on or close to the head of sperm whales that have attacked giant squid. Each arm and tentacle is divided into three regions – carpus
Carpus
In tetrapods, the carpus is the sole cluster of bones in the wrist between the radius and ulna and the metacarpus. The bones of the carpus do not belong to individual fingers , whereas those of the metacarpus do. The corresponding part of the foot is the tarsus...
("wrist"), manus
Manus (zoology)
The manus is the zoological term for the distal portion of the fore limb of an animal. In tetrapods, it is the part of the pentadactyl limb that includes the metacarpals and digits . During evolution, it has taken many forms and served a variety of functions...
("hand") and dactylus
Dactylus
The dactylus is the tip region of the tentacular club of cephalopods and of the leg of some crustaceans . In cephalopods, the dactylus is narrow and often characterized by the asymmetrical placement of suckers and the absence of a dorsal protective membrane...
("finger"). The carpus has a dense cluster of cups, in six or seven irregular, transverse rows. The manus is broader, close to the end of the arm, and has enlarged suckers in two medial rows. The dactylus is the tip. The bases of all the arms and tentacles are arranged in a circle surrounding the animal's single parrot-like beak, as in other cephalopods.
Fin
A fin is a surface used for stability and/or to produce lift and thrust or to steer while traveling in water, air, or other fluid media, . The first use of the word was for the limbs of fish, but has been extended to include other animal limbs and man-made devices...
s at the rear of the mantle used for locomotion. Like other cephalopods, giant squid are propelled by jet
Jet propulsion
Jet propulsion is motion produced by passing a jet of fluid in the opposite direction to the direction of motion. By conservation of momentum, the moving body is propelled in the opposite direction to the jet....
– by pushing water through its mantle cavity through the funnel, in gentle, rhythmic pulses. They can also move quickly by expanding the cavity to fill it with water, then contracting muscles to jet water through the funnel. Giant squid breathe using two large gills inside the mantle cavity. The circulatory system is closed, which is a distinct characteristic of cephalopods. Like other squid, they contain dark ink used to deter predators.
Nervous system
The nervous system is an organ system containing a network of specialized cells called neurons that coordinate the actions of an animal and transmit signals between different parts of its body. In most animals the nervous system consists of two parts, central and peripheral. The central nervous...
and complex brain, attracting great interest from scientists. They also have the largest eye
Cephalopod eye
Cephalopods, as active marine predators, possess sensory organs specialized for use in aquatic conditions. They have a camera-type eye, which consists of a lens projecting an image onto a retina. Unlike the vertebrate camera eye, the cephalopods' form as invaginations of the body surface , and...
s of any living creature except perhaps colossal squid
Colossal Squid
The colossal squid , sometimes called the Antarctic or giant cranch squid, is believed to be the largest squid species in terms of mass. It is the only known member of the genus Mesonychoteuthis...
– over 30 centimetre (0.984251968503937 ft) in diameter
Diameter
In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the center of the circle and whose endpoints are on the circle. The diameters are the longest chords of the circle...
. Large eyes can better detect light (including bioluminescent light), which is scarce in deep water. It is thought the giant squid cannot see colour, but they can probably discern small differences in tone, which is important in the low-light conditions of the deep ocean.
Giant squid and some other large squid species maintain neutral buoyancy
Buoyancy
In physics, buoyancy is a force exerted by a fluid that opposes an object's weight. In a column of fluid, pressure increases with depth as a result of the weight of the overlying fluid. Thus a column of fluid, or an object submerged in the fluid, experiences greater pressure at the bottom of the...
in seawater
Seawater
Seawater is water from a sea or ocean. On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a salinity of about 3.5% . This means that every kilogram of seawater has approximately of dissolved salts . The average density of seawater at the ocean surface is 1.025 g/ml...
through an ammonium chloride
Ammonium chloride
Ammonium chloride NH4Cl is an inorganic compound with the formula NH4Cl. It is a white crystalline salt that is highly soluble in water. Solutions of ammonium chloride are mildly acidic. Sal ammoniac is a name of natural, mineralogical form of ammonium chloride...
solution which flows throughout their body and is lighter than seawater. This differs from the method of flotation used by fish, which involves a gas-filled swim bladder. The solution tastes somewhat like salmiakki
Salmiakki
Salty liquorice, also known as salmiak or salmiakki is a variety of liquorice flavoured with ammonium chloride, common in Netherlands, Nordic Countries, Baltic States and Northern Germany. Ammonium chloride gives salty liquorice an astringent, salty taste , which has been described as...
and makes giant squid unattractive for general human consumption.
Like all cephalopod
Cephalopod
A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan class Cephalopoda . These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral body symmetry, a prominent head, and a set of arms or tentacles modified from the primitive molluscan foot...
s, giant squid have organs called statocyst
Statocyst
The statocyst is a balance sensory receptor present in some aquatic invertebrates, including bivalves, cnidarians, echinoderms, cephalopods, and crustaceans. A similar structure is also found in Xenoturbella. The statocyst consists of a sac-like structure containing a mineralised mass and numerous...
s to sense their orientation and motion in water. The age of a giant squid can be determined by "growth rings" in the statocyst's "statolith", similar to determining the age of a tree by counting its rings. Much of what is known about giant squid age is based on estimates of the growth rings and from undigested beaks found in the stomach
Stomach
The stomach is a muscular, hollow, dilated part of the alimentary canal which functions as an important organ of the digestive tract in some animals, including vertebrates, echinoderms, insects , and molluscs. It is involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication .The stomach is...
s of sperm whales.
Size
The giant squid is the second largest molluscMollusca
The Mollusca , common name molluscs or mollusksSpelled mollusks in the USA, see reasons given in Rosenberg's ; for the spelling mollusc see the reasons given by , is a large phylum of invertebrate animals. There are around 85,000 recognized extant species of molluscs. Mollusca is the largest...
and the second largest of all extant invertebrate
Invertebrate
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. The group includes 97% of all animal species – all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata .Invertebrates form a paraphyletic group...
s. It is only exceeded by the colossal squid
Colossal Squid
The colossal squid , sometimes called the Antarctic or giant cranch squid, is believed to be the largest squid species in terms of mass. It is the only known member of the genus Mesonychoteuthis...
, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, which may have a mantle
Mantle (mollusc)
The mantle is a significant part of the anatomy of molluscs: it is the dorsal body wall which covers the visceral mass and usually protrudes in the form of flaps well beyond the visceral mass itself.In many, but by no means all, species of molluscs, the epidermis of the mantle secretes...
nearly twice as long. Several extinct cephalopods, such as the Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
vampyromorphid
Vampyromorphida
Vampyromorphida is an order of cephalopods comprising one known extant species and many extinct taxa. Physically, they somewhat resemble octopuses, but the eight main tentacles are united by a web of skin, and two smaller tentacles are also present.-Classification:*Order Vampyromorphida**?Suborder...
Tusoteuthis
Tusoteuthis
Tusoteuthis is a genus of Cretaceous cephalopod molluscs. One species, T. longa, has been identified so far, and examination of gladius remains has yielded an estimated mantle length close to or equal to that of the modern giant squid. Recent studies have seen the vampire squid as a more likely...
, the Cretaceous coleoid
Coleoidea
Subclass Coleoidea, or Dibranchiata, is the grouping of cephalopods containing all the primarily soft-bodied creatures. Unlike its sister group Nautiloidea, whose members have a rigid outer shell for protection, the coleoids have at most an internal bone or shell that is used for buoyancy or support...
Yezoteuthis, and the Ordovician
Ordovician
The Ordovician is a geologic period and system, the second of six of the Paleozoic Era, and covers the time between 488.3±1.7 to 443.7±1.5 million years ago . It follows the Cambrian Period and is followed by the Silurian Period...
nautiloid
Nautiloid
Nautiloids are a large and diverse group of marine cephalopods belonging to the subclass Nautiloidea that began in the Late Cambrian and are represented today by the living Nautilus. Nautiloids flourished during the early Paleozoic era, where they constituted the main predatory animals, and...
Cameroceras may have grown even larger.
Giant squid size, particularly total length, has often been exaggerated. Reports of specimens reaching and even exceeding 20 metres (65.6 ft) are widespread, but no animals approaching this size have been scientifically documented. According to giant squid expert Dr. Steve O'Shea
Steve O'Shea
Steve O'Shea is a marine biologist and environmentalist known for his research on giant squid. O'Shea began work with the giant squid whilst working for the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research in New Zealand in 1996....
, such lengths were likely achieved by greatly stretching the two tentacles like elastic bands.
Sperm Whale
The sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus, is a marine mammal species, order Cetacea, a toothed whale having the largest brain of any animal. The name comes from the milky-white waxy substance, spermaceti, found in the animal's head. The sperm whale is the only living member of genus Physeter...
s, giant squids' mantles are not known to exceed 2.25 metres (7.4 ft). Including the head and arms, but excluding the tentacles, the length very rarely exceeds 5 metres (16.4 ft). Maximum total length, when measured relaxed post mortem
Autopsy
An autopsy—also known as a post-mortem examination, necropsy , autopsia cadaverum, or obduction—is a highly specialized surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse to determine the cause and manner of death and to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present...
, is estimated at 13 metres (42.7 ft) for females and 10 metres (32.8 ft) for males from caudal fin to the tip of the two long tentacles.
Giant squid exhibit sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is a phenotypic difference between males and females of the same species. Examples of such differences include differences in morphology, ornamentation, and behavior.-Examples:-Ornamentation / coloration:...
. Maximum weight is estimated at 275 kilograms (606.3 lb) for females and 150 kilograms (330.7 lb) for males.
Reproductive cycle
Little is known about the reproductive cycle of giant squid. It is thought that they reach sexual maturity at about 3 years; males reach sexual maturity at a smaller size than females. Females produce large quantities of eggEgg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
s, sometimes more than 5 kilograms (11 lb), that average 0.5 to 1.4 mm (0.0196850393700787 to 0.0551181102362205 in) long and 0.3 to 0.7 mm (0.0118110236220472 to 0.0275590551181102 in) wide. Females have a single median ovary
Ovary
The ovary is an ovum-producing reproductive organ, often found in pairs as part of the vertebrate female reproductive system. Ovaries in anatomically female individuals are analogous to testes in anatomically male individuals, in that they are both gonads and endocrine glands.-Human anatomy:Ovaries...
in the rear end of the mantle cavity and paired convoluted oviduct
Oviduct
In non-mammalian vertebrates, the passageway from the ovaries to the outside of the body is known as the oviduct. The eggs travel along the oviduct. These eggs will either be fertilized by sperm to become a zygote, or will degenerate in the body...
s where mature eggs pass exiting through the oviducal glands, then through the nidamental gland
Nidamental gland
The nidamental gland is an internal organ found in some elasmobranchs and certain molluscs, including cephalopods and gastropods....
s. As in other squid, these glands produce a gelatinous material used to keep the eggs together once they are laid.
In males, as with most other cephalopods, the single, posterior testis produces sperm that move into a complex system of glands that manufacture the spermatophore
Spermatophore
A spermatophore or sperm ampulla is a capsule or mass created by males of various animal species, containing spermatozoa and transferred in entirety to the female's ovipore during copulation...
s. These are stored in the elongate sac, or Needham's sac, that terminates in the penis
Penis
The penis is a biological feature of male animals including both vertebrates and invertebrates...
from which they are expelled during mating. The penis is prehensile, over 90 centimeters long, and extends from inside the mantle.
How the sperm is transferred to the egg mass is much debated, as giant squid lack the hectocotylus
Hectocotylus
A hectocotylus is one of the arms of the male of most kinds of cephalopods that is modified in various ways to effect the fertilization of the female's eggs. It is a specialized, extended muscular hydrostat used to store spermatophores, the male gametophore...
used for reproduction in many other cephalopod
Cephalopod
A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan class Cephalopoda . These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral body symmetry, a prominent head, and a set of arms or tentacles modified from the primitive molluscan foot...
s. It may be transferred in sacs of spermatophores, called spermatangia, which the male injects into the female's arms. This is suggested by a female specimen recently found in Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, having a small subsidiary tendril
Tendril
In botany, a tendril is a specialized stem, leaf or petiole with a threadlike shape that is used by climbing plants for support, attachment and cellular invasion by parasitic plants, generally by twining around suitable hosts. They do not have a lamina or blade, but they can photosynthesize...
attached to the base of each arm.
Post-larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
l juveniles have been discovered in surface waters off New Zealand, and there are plans to capture more and maintain them in an aquarium
Aquarium
An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
to learn more about the creature.
Feeding
Recent studies show that giant squid feed on deep-sea fish and other squid species. They catch prey using the two tentacles, gripping it with serrated sucker rings on the ends. Then they bring it toward the powerful beak, and shred it with the radulaRadula
The radula is an anatomical structure that is used by molluscs for feeding, sometimes compared rather inaccurately to a tongue. It is a minutely toothed, chitinous ribbon, which is typically used for scraping or cutting food before the food enters the esophagus...
(tongue with small, file-like teeth) before it reaches the esophagus
Esophagus
The esophagus is an organ in vertebrates which consists of a muscular tube through which food passes from the pharynx to the stomach. During swallowing, food passes from the mouth through the pharynx into the esophagus and travels via peristalsis to the stomach...
. They are believed to be solitary hunters, as only individual giant squid have been caught in fishing nets. Although the majority of giant squid caught by trawl in New Zealand waters have been associated with the local hoki
Blue grenadier
The blue grenadier, hoki, blue hake, New Zealand whiptail, whiptail or whiptail hake, Macruronus novaezelandiae, is a merluccid hake of the family Merlucciidae found around southern Australia and New Zealand at depths of between . Its length is between...
(Macruronus novaezelandiae) fishery, hoki do not feature in the squid's diet. This suggests that giant squid and hoki prey on the same animals.
Predators
Adult giant squids' only known predators are sperm whaleSperm Whale
The sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus, is a marine mammal species, order Cetacea, a toothed whale having the largest brain of any animal. The name comes from the milky-white waxy substance, spermaceti, found in the animal's head. The sperm whale is the only living member of genus Physeter...
s. It has also been suggested that pilot whale
Pilot whale
Pilot whales are cetaceans belonging to the genus Globicephala. There are two extant species, the long-finned pilot whale and the short-finned pilot whale . The two are not readily distinguished at sea and analysis of the skulls is the best way to tell the difference between them...
s may feed on giant squid. Juveniles are preyed on by deep sea shark
Shark
Sharks are a type of fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a highly streamlined body. The earliest known sharks date from more than 420 million years ago....
s and other fish. Because sperm whales are skilled at locating giant squid, scientists have tried to observe them to study the squid.
Range and habitat
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
, Spain and the oceanic islands of the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
and Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
, to the South Atlantic around southern Africa, the North Pacific around Japan, and the southwestern Pacific around New Zealand and Australia. Specimens are rare in tropical and polar latitudes.
The vertical distribution of giant squid is incompletely known, but data from trawled specimens and sperm whale diving behaviour suggests it spans a large range of depths, possibly 300–1000 m.
Species
The taxonomy of the giant squid, as with many cephalopod genera, has not been resolved. Lumpers and splittersLumpers and splitters
Lumping and splitting refers to a well-known problem in any discipline which has to place individual examples into rigorously defined categories. The lumper/splitter problem occurs when there is the need to create classifications and assign examples to them, for example schools of literature,...
may propose as many as eight species or as few as one. The broadest list is:
- Architeuthis dux, "Atlantic Giant Squid"
- Architeuthis hartingii
- Architeuthis japonica
- Architeuthis kirkii
- Architeuthis martensi, "North Pacific Giant Squid"
- Architeuthis physeteris
- Architeuthis sanctipauli, "Southern Giant Squid"
- Architeuthis stockii
In the 1984 FAO Species Catalogue of the Cephalopods of the World, C.F.E. Roper, M.J. Sweeney and C.F. Nauen wrote:
"Many species have been named in the sole genus of the family Architeuthidae, but they are so inadequately described and poorly understood that the systematics of the group is thoroughly confused."
Kir Nazimovich Nesis (1982) considered that only three species were likely to be valid.
In 1991, Frederick Aldrich
Frederick Aldrich
Frederick Allen Aldrich AB, M.Sc., Ph.D. was a prominent marine biologist and educator. He is best remembered for his research on giant squid....
of the Memorial University of Newfoundland
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Memorial University of Newfoundland, is a comprehensive university located primarily in St...
wrote:
"I reject the concept of 20 separate species, and until that issue is resolved, I choose to place them all in synonymy with Architeuthis dux Steenstrup."
In a letter to Richard Ellis
Richard Ellis (biologist)
Richard Ellis is an American marine biologist, author, and illustrator. He is a research associate in the American Museum of Natural History's division of paleontology, special adviser to the American Cetacean Society, and a member of the Explorers Club. He was U.S...
dated June 18, 1996, Martina Roeleveld of the South African Museum wrote:
"So far, I have seen nothing to suggest that there might be more than one species of Architeuthis."
In Cephalopods: A World Guide (2000), Mark Norman
Mark Norman (marine biologist)
Mark Douglas Norman is a marine biologist living in southern Australia where he works through the University of Melbourne and Museum Victoria. For over a decade, Norman has been working exclusively with cephalopods and he is one of the leading scientists in the field, having discovered over 150...
writes the following:
"The number of species of giant squid is not known although the general consensus amongst researchers is that there are at least three species, one in the Atlantic Ocean (Architeuthis dux), one in the Southern Ocean (A. sanctipauli) and at least one in the northern Pacific Ocean (A. martensi)."
Timeline
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
, who lived in the fourth century B.C., already described a large squid, which he called teuthus, distinguishing it from the smaller squid, the teuthis. He mentions that "of the calamaries the so-called teuthus is much bigger than the teuthis; for teuthi [plural of teuthus] have been found as much as five ell
Ell
An ell , is a unit of measurement, approximating the length of a man's arm.Several national forms existed, with different lengths, includingthe Scottish ell ,the Flemish ell ,the French ell...
s long."
Pliny the Elder
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
, living in the first century A.D., also described a gigantic squid in his Natural History, with the head "as big as a cask", arms 30 feet (9.1 m) long, and carcass weighing 700 pounds (317.5 kg).
Tales of giant squid have been common among mariners since ancient times, and may have led to the Norse
Norse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
legend of the kraken
Kraken
Kraken are legendary sea monsters of giant proportions said to have dwelt off the coasts of Norway and Iceland.In modern German, Krake means octopus but can also refer to the legendary Kraken...
, a tentacled sea monster
Sea monster
Sea monsters are sea-dwelling mythical or legendary creatures, often believed to be of immense size.Marine monsters can take many forms, including sea dragons, sea serpents, or multi-armed beasts. They can be slimy or scaly and are often pictured threatening ships or spouting jets of water...
as large as an island capable of engulfing and sinking any ship. Japetus Steenstrup
Japetus Steenstrup
Johannes Japetus Smith Steenstrup was a Danish zoologist, biologist, and professor.He was a professor of zoology at the University of Copenhagen...
, the describer of Architeuthis, suggested a giant squid was the species described as a sea monk
Sea monk
The sea monk, or sometimes monk-fish, was the name given to a sea animal found off the eastern coast of the Danish island of Zealand almost certainly in 1546. It was described as a "fish" that looked superficially like a monk. It was mentioned and pictured in the fourth volume of Conrad Gesner's...
to the Danish king Christian III
Christian III of Denmark
Christian III reigned as king of Denmark and Norway. He was the eldest son of King Frederick I and Anna of Brandenburg.-Childhood:...
c.1550. The Lusca
Lusca
The lusca is a name given to a sea monster reported from the Caribbean. It has been suggested by cryptozoologists that the lusca is a gigantic octopus, far larger than the known giant octopuses of the genus Enteroctopus.-Sightings:...
of the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
and Scylla
Scylla
In Greek mythology, Scylla was a monster that lived on one side of a narrow channel of water, opposite its counterpart Charybdis. The two sides of the strait were within an arrow's range of each other—so close that sailors attempting to avoid Charybdis would pass too close to Scylla and vice...
in Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
may also derive from giant squid sightings. Eyewitness accounts of other sea monsters like the sea serpent
Sea serpent
A sea serpent or sea dragon is a type of sea monster either wholly or partly serpentine.Sightings of sea serpents have been reported for hundreds of years, and continue to be claimed today. Cryptozoologist Bruce Champagne identified more than 1,200 purported sea serpent sightings...
are also thought to be mistaken interpretations of giant squid.
Steenstrup wrote a number of papers on giant squid in the 1850s. He first used the term "Architeuthus" (this was the spelling he chose) in a paper in 1857. A portion of a giant squid was secured by the French gunboat Alecton in 1861 leading to wider recognition of the genus in the scientific community. From 1870 to 1880, many squid were stranded on the shores of Newfoundland. For example, a specimen washed ashore in Thimble Tickle Bay
Thimble Tickle Bay
Thimble Tickle Bay is a bay on the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.In 1878 the largest known specimen of the Atlantic Giant Squid, with a length of just over 55 feet, was found dead on the beach....
, Newfoundland on November 2, 1878; its mantle was reported to be 6.1 metres (20 ft) long, with one tentacle 10.7 metres (35.1 ft) long, and it was estimated as weighing 2.2 tonnes. In 1873, a squid "attacked" a minister and a young boy in a dory
Dory
The dory is a small, shallow-draft boat, about long. It is a lightweight and versatile boat with high sides, a flat bottom and sharp bows. They are easy to build because of their simple lines. For centuries, dories have been used as traditional fishing boats, both in coastal waters and in the...
in Bell Island
Bell Island
Bell Island is a Canadian island located off Newfoundland's Avalon Peninsula in Conception Bay.Measuring 9 km in length and 3 km in width, Bell Island has an area of 34 km²...
, Newfoundland. Many strandings also occurred in New Zealand during the late 19th century.
Frederick Aldrich
Frederick Allen Aldrich AB, M.Sc., Ph.D. was a prominent marine biologist and educator. He is best remembered for his research on giant squid....
. Aldrich used this value to correctly predict a relatively small stranding that occurred between 1964 and 1966.
In 2004, another giant squid, later named "Archie", was caught off the coast of the Falkland Islands
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
by a trawler. It was 8.62 metres (28.3 ft) long and was sent to the Natural History Museum
Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England . Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road...
in London to be studied and preserved. It was put on display on March 1, 2006 at the Darwin Centre. The find of such a large, complete specimen is very rare, as most specimens are in a poor condition, having washed up dead on beaches or been retrieved from the stomach of dead sperm whales.
Researchers undertook a painstaking process to preserve the body. It was transported to England on ice aboard the trawler; then it was defrosted, which took about four days. The major difficulty was that thawing the thick mantle took much longer than the tentacles. To prevent the tentacles from rot
ROT
The aviation term ROT stands for rate one turn, also known as a standard rate turn. All aircraft must be able to perform a standard rate turn....
ting, scientists covered them in ice packs, and bathed the mantle in water. Then they injected the squid with a formol-saline solution to prevent rotting. The creature is now on show in a 9 metres (29.5 ft) long glass tank at the Darwin Centre of the Natural History Museum
Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England . Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road...
.
Melbourne Aquarium
Melbourne Aquarium is a Southern Ocean and Antarctic aquarium in central Melbourne, Australia. It is located on the banks of the Yarra River beside and under the Flinders Street Viaduct and the King Street Bridge.-History:...
in Australia paid A$100,000 for the intact body of a giant squid, preserved in a giant block of ice
Ice
Ice is water frozen into the solid state. Usually ice is the phase known as ice Ih, which is the most abundant of the varying solid phases on the Earth's surface. It can appear transparent or opaque bluish-white color, depending on the presence of impurities or air inclusions...
, which had been caught by fishermen off the coast of New Zealand's South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
that year.
The number of known giant squid specimens was close to 600 in 2004, and new ones are reported each year. The search for a live Architeuthis specimen includes attempts to find live young, including larvae. The larvae closely resemble those of Nototodarus
Nototodarus
Nototodarus is a genus of squid. Example species in this genus include Nototodarus sloanii, a species sought for human food; in the process of harvesting N. sloanii Australian Sea Lions are frequently killed, since that marine mammal preys upon this squid species. Furthermore, New Zealand Arrow...
and Onykia
Onykia
Onykia is a genus of squids in the family Onychoteuthidae. Due to similarities between the genera, several recent authors consider the genus Moroteuthis a junior synonym of Onykia. The type species is the Tropical Clubhook Squid ....
, but are distinguished by the shape of the mantle attachment to the head, the tentacle suckers, and the beaks.
Images and video of live animals
The giant squid was one of the last extant megafaunaMegafauna
In terrestrial zoology, megafauna are "giant", "very large" or "large" animals. The most common thresholds used are or...
to never have been photographed alive, either in the wild or in captivity. Marine biologist and author Richard Ellis
Richard Ellis (biologist)
Richard Ellis is an American marine biologist, author, and illustrator. He is a research associate in the American Museum of Natural History's division of paleontology, special adviser to the American Cetacean Society, and a member of the Explorers Club. He was U.S...
described it as "the most elusive image in natural history".
In 1993, an image purporting to show a diver with a live giant squid (identified as Architeuthis dux) was published in the book European Seashells. However, the animal in this photograph was a sick or dying Onykia robusta, not a giant squid.
The first footage of live larval giant squid ever captured on film was in 2001. The footage was shown on Chasing Giants: On the Trail of the Giant Squid on the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
.
First images of live adult
Kyoto Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Kyoto.- History :Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Kyoto prefecture was known as Yamashiro....
, Japan. The animal, which measured about 2 metres (6.6 ft) in mantle
Mantle (mollusc)
The mantle is a significant part of the anatomy of molluscs: it is the dorsal body wall which covers the visceral mass and usually protrudes in the form of flaps well beyond the visceral mass itself.In many, but by no means all, species of molluscs, the epidermis of the mantle secretes...
length and 4 metres (13.1 ft) in total length, was found near the water's surface. It was captured and tied to a quay, where it died overnight. The specimen was identified by Koutarou Tsuchiya of the Tokyo University of Fisheries. It is on display at the National Science Museum of Japan
National Science Museum of Japan
The is located in the northeast corner of Ueno park in Tokyo. Opened in 1871, the museum has had several names, including Ministry of Education Museum, Tokyo Museum, Tokyo Science Museum, the National Science Museum of Japan, and currently the National Museum of Nature and Science as of 2007...
.
First observations in the wild
The first photographs of a live giant squid in its natural habitat were taken on September 30, 2004, by Tsunemi KuboderaTsunemi Kubodera
is a Japanese zoologist with the National Science Museum of Japan. On September 30, 2004, Kubodera and his team became the first people to photograph a live giant squid in its natural habitat...
(National Science Museum of Japan
National Science Museum of Japan
The is located in the northeast corner of Ueno park in Tokyo. Opened in 1871, the museum has had several names, including Ministry of Education Museum, Tokyo Museum, Tokyo Science Museum, the National Science Museum of Japan, and currently the National Museum of Nature and Science as of 2007...
) and Kyoichi Mori
Kyoichi Mori
Kyoichi Mori is a Japanese whale watcher who assisted Tsunemi Kubodera in taking the first photographs of a living giant squid in its natural habitat...
(Ogasawara Whale Watching Association
Ogasawara Whale Watching Association
The Ogasawara Whale Watching Association is an association that regulates whale watching in the Ogasawara Islands. Since 1989 the Ogasawara Whale Watching Association has been conducting research on and educating people about whales...
). Their teams had worked together for nearly two years to accomplish this. They used a five-ton fishing boat and only two crew members. The images were created on their third trip to a known sperm whale
Sperm Whale
The sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus, is a marine mammal species, order Cetacea, a toothed whale having the largest brain of any animal. The name comes from the milky-white waxy substance, spermaceti, found in the animal's head. The sperm whale is the only living member of genus Physeter...
hunting ground 970 kilometres (602.7 mi) south of Tokyo, where they had dropped a 900 metres (2,952.8 ft) line baited with squid and shrimp. The line also held a camera and a flash. After over 20 tries that day, an 8 metres (26.2 ft) giant squid attacked the lure and snagged its tentacle
Tentacle
A tentacle or bothrium is one of usually two or more elongated flexible organs present in animals, especially invertebrates. The term may also refer to the hairs of the leaves of some insectivorous plants. Usually, tentacles are used for feeding, feeling and grasping. Anatomically, they work like...
. The camera took over 500 photos before the squid managed to break free after four hours. The squid's 5.5 metres (18 ft) tentacle remained attached to the lure. Later DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
tests confirmed the animal as a giant squid.
Ogasawara Islands
The Bonin Islands, known in Japan as the are an archipelago of over 30 subtropical and tropical islands, some directly south of Tokyo, Japan. Administratively, they are part of Ogasawara Municipality of Ogasawara Subprefecture, Tokyo...
, shows the squid homing in on the baited line and enveloping it in "a ball of tentacles." The researchers were able to locate the likely general location of giant squid by closely tailing the movements of sperm whales. According to Kubodera, "we knew that they fed on the squid, and we knew when and how deep they dived, so we used them to lead us to the squid." Kubodera and Mori reported their observations in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society
Proceedings of the Royal Society
Proceedings of the Royal Society is the parent title of two scientific journals published by the Royal Society, whereas its initial journal, Philosophical Transactions, is now devoted to special thematic issues...
.
Among other things, the observations demonstrate actual hunting behaviors of adult Architeuthis, a subject on which there had been much speculation. The photographs showed an aggressive hunting pattern by the baited squid, leading to it impaling a tentacle on the bait ball's hooks. This may disprove the theory that the giant squid is a drifter which eats whatever floats by, rarely moving so as to conserve energy. It seems that the species has a much more belligerent feeding technique.
First video of live adult
On December 4, 2006, an adult giant squid was finally caught on video near the Ogasawara IslandsOgasawara Islands
The Bonin Islands, known in Japan as the are an archipelago of over 30 subtropical and tropical islands, some directly south of Tokyo, Japan. Administratively, they are part of Ogasawara Municipality of Ogasawara Subprefecture, Tokyo...
, 1000 kilometres (621.4 mi) south of Tokyo, by researchers from the National Science Museum of Japan led by Tsunemi Kubodera. It was a small female about 3.5 metres (11.5 ft) long and weighing 50 kilograms (110.2 lb). The bait used by the scientists initially attracted a medium-sized squid measuring around 55 centimetres (21.7 in), which in turn attracted the giant squid. It was pulled aboard the research vessel but died in the process.
Cultural depictions
The elusive nature of the giant squid and its terrifying appearance have firmly established its place in the human imagination. Representations of the giant squid have been known from early legends of the Kraken
Kraken
Kraken are legendary sea monsters of giant proportions said to have dwelt off the coasts of Norway and Iceland.In modern German, Krake means octopus but can also refer to the legendary Kraken...
through books such as Moby-Dick
Moby-Dick
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, was written by American author Herman Melville and first published in 1851. It is considered by some to be a Great American Novel and a treasure of world literature. The story tells the adventures of wandering sailor Ishmael, and his voyage on the whaleship Pequod,...
and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea is a classic science fiction novel by French writer Jules Verne published in 1870. It tells the story of Captain Nemo and his submarine Nautilus as seen from the perspective of Professor Pierre Aronnax...
on to novels such as Ian Fleming's Dr. No and Peter Benchley's Beast (adapted as a film called The Beast
The Beast (1996 film)
The Beast is a 1996 made for TV movie starring William Petersen, Karen Sillas and Charles Martin Smith. The movie is based on the 1991 novel Beast by Jaws author Peter Benchley. The film is about a giant squid that attacks and kills several people when its food supply becomes scarce and its...
) and modern animated television programs.
In particular, the image of a giant squid locked in battle with a sperm whale
Sperm Whale
The sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus, is a marine mammal species, order Cetacea, a toothed whale having the largest brain of any animal. The name comes from the milky-white waxy substance, spermaceti, found in the animal's head. The sperm whale is the only living member of genus Physeter...
is a common one, although the squid is in fact the whale's prey, and not an equal combatant.
See also
- Cephalopod sizeCephalopod sizeSize has been one of the most interesting aspects of cephalopod science to the general public. This article lists the largest cephalopods from various groups, sorted in order of mantle length, total length, weight, and shell diameter...
- Colossal squidColossal SquidThe colossal squid , sometimes called the Antarctic or giant cranch squid, is believed to be the largest squid species in terms of mass. It is the only known member of the genus Mesonychoteuthis...
- Deep-sea gigantismDeep-sea gigantismIn zoology, deep-sea gigantism, also known as abyssal gigantism, is the tendency for species of crustaceans, invertebrates and other deep-sea-dwelling animals to display a larger size than their shallow-water counterparts...
- Gigantic octopusGigantic octopusAn unknown species of gigantic octopus has been hypothesised as a source of reports of sea monsters such as the lusca and the kraken as well as the source of some of the carcasses of unidentified origin known as globsters like the St. Augustine Monster. The species that the St...
- Humboldt SquidHumboldt SquidThe Humboldt squid , also known as jumbo squid, jumbo flying squid, pota or diablo rojo , is a large, predatory squid found in the waters of the Humboldt Current in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. They are most commonly found at depths of , from Tierra del Fuego to California...
- Mythical gigantic cephalopodCephalopodA cephalopod is any member of the molluscan class Cephalopoda . These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral body symmetry, a prominent head, and a set of arms or tentacles modified from the primitive molluscan foot...
s:- CthulhuCthulhuCthulhu is a fictional character that first appeared in the short story "The Call of Cthulhu", published in the pulp magazine Weird Tales in 1928. The character was created by writer H. P...
, an alien creature with a cephalopod-like appearance from the H. P. LovecraftH. P. LovecraftHoward Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
story The Call of CthulhuThe Call of CthulhuThe Call of Cthulhu is a short story by American writer H. P. Lovecraft. Written in the summer of 1926, it was first published in the pulp magazine Weird Tales, in February 1928.-Inspiration:...
. - KrakenKrakenKraken are legendary sea monsters of giant proportions said to have dwelt off the coasts of Norway and Iceland.In modern German, Krake means octopus but can also refer to the legendary Kraken...
- LuscaLuscaThe lusca is a name given to a sea monster reported from the Caribbean. It has been suggested by cryptozoologists that the lusca is a gigantic octopus, far larger than the known giant octopuses of the genus Enteroctopus.-Sightings:...
- Watcher in the WaterWatcher in the WaterThe Watcher in the Water is a fictional creature in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium; it appears in The Fellowship of the Ring, the first volume of The Lord of the Rings...
, a colossal squid-like being in J. R. R. TolkienJ. R. R. TolkienJohn Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
's The Fellowship of the RingThe Fellowship of the RingThe Fellowship of the Ring is the first of three volumes of the epic novel The Lord of the Rings by the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It takes place in the fictional universe Middle-earth. It was originally published on July 29, 1954 in the United Kingdom...
.
- Cthulhu
Further reading
- National Geographic Video: "Sea Monsters"
- Aldrich, F.A. & E.L. Brown 1967. The Giant Squid in Newfoundland. The Newfoundland Quarterly. Vol. LXV No. 3. p. 4–8.
- Holroyd, J. New squid on the (ice) block, The AgeThe AgeThe Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
, December 21, 2005. - Grann, D. The Squid Hunter. New Yorker, May 24, 2004.
- Foxnews.com:
- BBC.co.ukBbc.co.ukBBC Online is the brand name and home for the BBC's UK online service. It is a large network of websites including such high profile sites as BBC News and Sport, the on-demand video and radio services co-branded BBC iPlayer, the pre-school site Cbeebies, and learning services such as Bitesize...
:
External links
- Tree of Life Web ProjectTree of Life Web ProjectThe Tree of Life Web Project is an ongoing Internet project providing information about the diversity and phylogeny of life on Earth. This collaborative peer reviewed project began in 1995, and is written by biologists from around the world....
: Architeuthis - TONMO.com's fact sheet for giant and colossal squids
- TONMO.com's giant squid reproduction article
- In Search of Giant Squid – Smithsonian Ocean Portal
- In Search of Giant Squid – Smithsonian Institution Exhibition
- New Zealand – 1999 Expedition Journals In Search of Giant Squid
- Fishermen haul in world's biggest squid in the Ross Sea, February 2007.