Giant Squid Caught on Camera for First Time- Photo Inside

[buzzsaw_23]

Giant squid caught on camera
September 28, 2005 - 9:53AM



An image released the Royal Society shows the first photographs of a live giant squid in its natural environment, taken by Japanese scientists in the Pacific Ocean.
Photo: Reuters

Japanese zoologists have made the first recording of a live giant squid, one of the strangest and most elusive creatures in the world.

The size of a bus, with vast eyes and a querulous beak, Architeuthis has long nourished myth and literature, most memorably in Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, in which a squid tried to engulf the submarine Nautilus with its suckered tentacles.

Until now, the only evidence of giant squids was extraordinarily rare - from dead squids that washed up on remote shores or were snagged on a longline fish hook or from ships' crews, who spotted the deep-sea denizen as it made a sortie near the surface.

But almost nothing was known about where and how Architeuthis lives, feeds and reproduces. Given the problems of getting down to its home in the ocean depths, no one had ever obtained pictures of a live one.

http://smh.com.au/news/science/giant-squid-caught-on-camera/2005/09/28/1127804509424.html

[rockymountaindem]

1. Now I'm scared to go in the water.

:scared:

[sakabatou]

3. Afraid to go below 900 m?

[rockymountaindem]

18. According to the Wikipedia artical on giant squids

one attacked two people in Newfoundland in 1878...

[sakabatou]

54. Really?

Are they sure it wasn't Humbolt?

[jpak]

88. Humboldt's are a Pacific species

There were also "unsubstantiated" reports from WW2 of Archies picking U-boat attack survivors out of lifeboats off Newfoundland...

Apparently, torpedo explosions were a "dinner bell" to them....

[kestrel91316]

22. I've been afraid to go in the water since "Jaws".

[kath]

46. you and plenty of other people!

[I_Make_Mistakes]

53. Jaws killed real ocean experiences for me too. I was in my early

teens then.

[mtnester]

90. I hear ya...saw the movie right before we went to Fla for Disney

in 1975...the farthest in I could go was at the foamy part of the surf . . .sat there and sifted sand for those little tiny butterfly shells. I was 15.

I lost some of the worry as I got older, but I remember that ruined the beach for me for YEARS.

[gauguin57]

91. I went to the beach the DAY after I saw "Jaws." Yipes!

But did we ever have fun swimming under the waves and yanking on each other's legs. SURPRISE! YAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaH!

[TahitiNut]

73. Funny. More than half of my open ocean dives have been with sharks.

On nearly 3/4ths of my dives, I've been within 100' of at least one shark, but on nearly half of my dives the number exceeded a dozen at distances less than 25'. About 1/8th of my dives have been "shark feeds" with 35-50 sharks of up to perhaps 5 different species, often passing within 6' of me. Not once did I feel I was in significant danger -- at least any danger that materially exceeded the usual risks of scuba diving.

They're fascinating and absolutely essential creatures -- one of the oldest "designs" on the planet.

[jayctravis]

42. Between that and the Discovery channel documentary

about killer jellyfish the size of a thumbnail that contain the deadliest toxins you can imagine, I'm reluctant to brave non-chlorinated water as well.

No flying, no swimming.

[alfredo]

57. I got hit by a Man O War. It was like my body was set

on fire. I was the first person hit that season. I remember they put ammonia on the stings. The welts lasted for a very long time.

After that more started blowing in, so nobody went in the water.

I've only heard of one person dying from a Man O War sting.

[fudge stripe cookays]

69. I stepped on one at South Padre Island when I was about 11....

and screamed my head off!

This was about March of 1978. There must have been a red tide or a migration or something.

TONS of the blue bubbly things were washing up from one end of the beach to the other, and some of their tentacles could stretch for yards down the beach. Of course I found one!

My foot just barely found one of the tips of a tentacle that had mostly been buried in the sand. Not fun.

FSC

[alfredo]

76. their venom is supposed to be

near the potency of a cobra.

[fudge stripe cookays]

78. Wow!

I had no idea! So I can strut around saying I got stung. It didn't leave a scar or anything.

My uncle once stepped on a stingray (it was laying in the sand when he was walking into the water so he couldn't see it...). That sucker's tail barb came right up and into his calf. I don't remember how many surgeries he had to have to try to repair the damage. I seem to recall most of it was neurological.

FSC

[alfredo]

82. I had an encounter with a Moray Eel while snorkleing in the

Red Sea (Massawa). It was the first time ever around a coral reef. The reef had a lot of old damage from WWII, but was recovering well. I didn't see it until I was right on top of it. It scared the crap out of me. I backed off and nothing happened.

their bite is nasty, but not like the sting of a sting ray. We never went in the water after dark because of the rays. The beach there was long and gentle so you could walk a great distance. The Rays loved it.

On the more rocky sections there were a lot of brittle stars. They were incredible creatures.

[fudge stripe cookays]

84. Cool pic!

Thanks for sharing? Did you take it?

:hi:
FSC

[alfredo]

95. Thanks. No did didn't I didn't take my camera down to Massawa

very much. It was too hot, too prone to sand storms, and I went there to drink and party, not to take pictures.

[djack23]

68. about killer jellyfish the size of a thumbnail that contain the deadliest

For those scared of creatures in the Ocean.

How about the great Lakes? No sharks, no squids, no man of war or jeelyfish and no saltwater. Chicago is calling.

[fudge stripe cookays]

70. Ugh.

You ever been near Lake Michigan on a hot day?

I went with a couple of aunties and cousins when I was about 15 and visiting for the summer.

DEAD FISH EVERYWHERE. The smell was quite pungent.

I'll risk it with the man-o-war!
FSC

[msrbly]

79. You are talking about alewives

That only happens about once every 7 years or so. Not a yearly occurrence but I agree that they can definitely ruin a beautiful Lake Michigan experience! I live 3 miles from Lake Michigan along the Michigan coastline and I think it is the most perfect beach in the world (aside from the alewives of course). No salt, few tourists, beautifully warm, sunny summers, cool water, no sharks, jelly fish, giant squids, seaweed, man o' wars or other creatures. Perfect.

[fudge stripe cookays]

80. What are they exactly?

I'd move to Wisconsin in a second if I could.

I love it there. Enlighten, please. :D

FSC

[msrbly]

83. Alewives are relatives of herring

They migrated to the Great Lakes in the 1940s and, if you are not a fisherman and just enjoy the beach you probably will only see them once every 7 - 10 years. For some reason (I'm sure there is a logical explanation), they beach themselves by the ton and die on the beach every 7 to 10 years. Some years there are thousands of them and the beach is unbearable but they are a small price to pay for such a beautiful lake. By the way, I love Wisconsin and lived there for a while but the Michigan side of the lake is thousands of times more beautiful. White sand beaches with no rocks and gorgeous dunes.

[fudge stripe cookays]

86. Aha!

Thanks!

No Michigan. I like the beach, but all my old dead relatives are in Wisconsin, and I'm busy digging them up (not physically, don't worry!)

I need close proximity to the Archives in Madison.
:hi:
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[Sparkman]

96. Freeway BRAKE dust (aesbestos ladden even now) seems more risky 2 me

[myrna minx]

99. Candy-gram. Pizza Man. Uh-Oh...beware of the landsquid!

Apologies to SNL.

[SeattleGirl]

2. Totally cool!!

I watched a show on Discovery about a year ago, think it was called "The Search for the Giant Squid" or something like that. That's so great that someone finally got a picture of it!

[Sandpiper]

4. Very Cool

Observation of a live Giant Squid has long been the holy grail of marine biologists, zoologists, and crypto-zoologists.

Congrats to the Japanese.

[Art_from_Ark]

58. Think of all the squid jerky that sucker could make

[ToeBot]

63. My first thought: Japanese "zoologists"?

That must be a euphemism for sushi chef.

[Seabiscuit]

104. Next Japanese Movie: "MARINE GODZILLA vs. BLUE WHALADON"

[fudge stripe cookays]

71. .

Mmmmmm....squid jerky!

:o

[Vektor]

5. That is REALLY cool.

Almost like folklore come to life. Great stuff! Thanks for posting.

[Skink]

7. But which way does it vote?

[Vektor]

11. Good question. I'd say Democrat.

Since the Japanese found it and Toyota does consistently donate to Democratic candidates and did propose the Kyoto treaty...which AssBush refused to sign...

Yea, that's squid's a dem.

Tee hee. Nice reach, huh? :-)

On a more serious note, any animal, particularly ocean dwellers should vote Dem. The Repukes like to wreak environmental havoc.

[Ksec]

6. Native fisherman are scared to death of Architeuthis

They say they would rather be swimming with sharks.

These things are dangerous. Theyll tear you to pieces and they move like lightning.

They have a beak like an eagle /

[Sandpiper]

19. Local fisherman in Southern Cal and Baja are terrified...

Of the local Humboldt Squid.

Mexican fishermen call it "El Diablo Rojo" (The Red Devil).



Although they're smaller than Architeuthis (6-8 feet long and 100+ lbs) they're very aggressive, intelligent, and have been observed to hunt in packs. Three of them once teamed up on a National Geographic photographer and dragged him to the bottom.


I'd probably be more afraid of a big squid than a big shark. Squid are smarter.

[kestrel91316]

25. These are in SoCal???????? Where?????????????? OMFG

[highplainsdem]

43. Here's a link to an article on Humboldt squid:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/07/0718_030718_jumbosquid.html

The second page of the article says their range is from Chile to California, and over halfway to Hawaii on the Equator.

[Ksec]

50. I saw this HPD

My memory of the Humbolt and the archetuthis may have morphed together a little.

It was this Humbolt that the natives are scared to death of .

[highplainsdem]

51. After reading the second article I posted a link for, I'd be scared, too.

http://www.montereycountyweekly.com/issues/Issue.03-10-2005/cover/Article.cover_story

“Diving with these squid is like diving in a barroom brawl,” Cassell says. “I’ve had my eardrum ruptured by getting dragged down from 45 feet to 75 feet; I’ve had my right arm dislocated by a squid grabbing my camera and yanking it; I’ve had 25 stitches from a particularly bad bite on my leg; and I’ve been smashed on the face more times than I can remember because they always seem to go for the camera when I’m looking through it.”

The most notorious Humboldt squid story involves Alex Kirstich, a National Geographic videographer working at night in the Sea of Cortez. Kirstich was shooting a school of five-foot Humboldt squid 30 feet below the surface when he was “mugged” by three squid and gang-dragged down to a depth of 70 feet.

“They took his camera, his necklace, his dive computer and gave him some nice bites around the back of his neck,” Cassell says.

Although Kirstich survived the attack, it was an encounter that stayed with him until his recent death from cancer, according to Cassell. “Every time he told that story you could see the fear.”

[fudge stripe cookays]

72. Holy ^&*%$#!

That's about when I'd be changing careers, Alex. :scared:

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[highplainsdem]

47. And another article, this one from a Monterey paper:

http://www.montereycountyweekly.com/issues/Issue.03-10-2005/cover/Article.cover_story


That one says their range is now as far north as British Columbia and even Alaska.

[NYC]

36. I've heard they are very aggressive.

They're in the Gulf of Mexico, aren't they?

[chicagiana]

44. Reports of aggression come from fisherman ...

Those fisherman bait the squid with jigs that look like long spikey sticks. If you just escaped from one of those, you would be pissed off too.

Other divers have swam with Humbolt squid and reported that they're pretty mellow. Others report they get attacked. That is, they are attacked while observing the squid during aggresive feeding.

I don't know which way it is for sure. Just remember the context of the sources.

[NYC]

49. Thanks. All I heard was the report of Mexican fishermen.

I thought they were trying to fish for something other than Humboldt squid at the time.

National Geographic:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/07/0718_030718_jumbosquid.html

Elusive and cannibalistic, the Humboldt, or jumbo, squid (Dosidicus gigas) has a reputation so fearsome that it has earned the nickname "red devil." But to William Gilly, a biology professor at Stanford University in Palo Alto, the mysterious squid, which can reach six feet (1.8 meters) long, is a beautiful sea creature that provides important ecological clues...

...Known as aggressive predators, Humboldt squid have powerful arms and tentacles, excellent underwater vision and a razor-sharp beak that easily tears through the flesh of their prey. They can also rapidly change their skin color in what appears to be a complex communication system...

...The jumbo squid are also known to eat each other, at least when one squid is impaired on a fishing line. Such cannibalistic behavior has fueled the squid's reputation as a bloodthirsty sea creature.

..."I've (Gilly) been snorkeling with them at night in just shorts and T-shirt," he said. "The squid would swim up to the surface, reach out with their arms and gently touch my extended hand. To meet them like this and shake hands was truly amazing, like meeting an extraterrestrial being."

More at link.

[Tower]

81. A friend of mine went diving with Humboldt squid.

He was in a documentary about them that was on TV last week, I believe. He had this suit made up to protect himself from their tentacles, because they could really hurt you just by "feeling you up", so to speak. They have little grabby spike things on them.

Anyway, he watched them for awhile from about 30 meters above, and a couple of them came up intermittently to check him out. The video was amazing- they'd come right up and stare him in the eye. Or the cameral lense, I should say. And you could hear all this scrapping as they felt the camera. One did in fact ram him a time or two as well- sounded painful, too. He said he had to come back up at that point because it had knocked the wind out of him.

Amazing creatures.

[jobycom]

21. 8 meters long? They ought to be scared! I'm scared, and I'm in Austin!

[tocqueville]

60. they can get up to 59 ft (18 m)

so this one is just a baby

[Warren DeMontague]

8. I like Sushi as much as the next guy

but I'm not eatin' THAT!

[mike_c]

9. this is great....

Congratulations to the Japanese team that finally achieved this! :woohoo:

[tatertop]

14. this is great!!!

meow

[jobycom]

24. Meow?

[ngGale]

10. Super great pic...

:woohoo:

[MarsThe Cat]

12. don't they also get info regarding the size of the squids-

by looking at/measuring bite and tentacle marks on whales?

[Arugula Latte]

94. I think some leave sucker marks the size of dinner plates. Yikes!

That's just one sucker from one tentacle.

They are unbelievable creatures. They have the largest eyes on the planet.

[MazeRat7]

13. Are you sure thats not Bolton ?

[Polethebear]

61. I am........

because that thing is smarter than him and anyone else working for the admin.

[tocqueville]

15. be touched by his noodly appendage....

this is the ultimate proof...

[Ladyhawk]

39. LOL...I was thinking the same thing.

The Flying Spaghetti Monster lives. :)

[chicagiana]

45. Not ultimate proof ...

The ultimate proof are the dozens of Giant squid corpses that scientists have collected. No photographs were needed for "proof".

There are pictures of UFOs and Sasquatch out there. That doesn't constitute proof.

The photograph will give scientists clues on how to locate and study this illusive picture. And of course, it's very cool to get photos of a live specimen.

[tocqueville]

56. ultimate proof of the Flying Spaghetti Monster

nothing else

[nickgutierrez]

16. That's not a squid...

It's the Flying Spaghetti Monster! He exists!

:)

[cynatnite]

26. I thought he'd have more noodly appendages n/t

[Vektor]

34. Maybe they are hiding...

...lurking in the darkness...waiting to unfurl. Like sinister Ramen.

[Dr. Death]

66. But this is swimming, not flying

so it must be a related species. Does this mean that the church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is pantheistic?

[karlrschneider]

17. I want one! It'd supply my fried calamari cravings for the rest of my

life.
:D

[Vektor]

20. Aw man! The first one photographed...

and you're already breaking out the tartar sauce!
Imagine how big those rings would be?

[karlrschneider]

29. Large & scrumptious!

:D

[Vektor]

30. Or perhaps.....

"SCRUMPTRALESCENT"?

[karlrschneider]

31. LOL...why not?

:D

[Vektor]

35. Did you see the Will Ferrel "scumptralescent" skit?

Tooooo funny.

[longship]

23. Cephelapods are intelligent.

I am an omnivore but I do not eat intelligent animals. Fish--okay. Normal stuff like beef, lamb, pork--okay.

But I draw the line a cephelapods. They are highly intelligent. I don't eat them any longer.

[karlrschneider]

28. Well......I'm not so sure a squid is smarter than a pig...

:eyes:

[Vektor]

33. Oh no, guys!!!

This is a happy, cool, "look, they photographed the elusive giant squid" thread...


...not another "animal eating" fight....

:popcorn:

[Ladyhawk]

40. Actually, they might be. Octopi are especially intelligent. n/t

[chicagiana]

48. Pigs are VERY intelligent ...

Pigs are pretty damn smart. They are smarter than dogs. And you probably wouldn't eat a dog.

I agree on cows and chickens though. Dumb as all get out. This is important because I would be loathe to slaughter somthing that KNEW it was alive.

[Generic Other]

27. Did you read how they lured them??? Who thinks up this stuff?

"They ground up some squid gonads, believing that the scent would drive male giant squids wild as the creatures migrated through New Zealand waters.

The hope was that a camera would squirt out the pureed genitals and a passing squid, driven into a sexual frenzy, would then mate with the lens - a project that, some may be relieved to hear, never came to fruition."

[Vektor]

37. OMG! "squid gonads"

"a camera would squirt out the pureed genitals and a passing squid, driven into a sexual frenzy, would then mate with the lens - a project that, some may be relieved to hear, never came to fruition."

BWAA-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! *GASP*

:rofl:

[fudge stripe cookays]

75. I don't know about you....

but if I was a horny squid, the last thing I'd want to hump would be a much smaller metal object.

I'd be looking for some soft, squidgy, slimy, squid honeys.

I'm just sayin...
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[shugah]

32. too cool!

that is the coolest story i've read today! thanks for posting!

[Ladyhawk]

38. Woohoo! I knew it would happen someday.

I've been waiting for this. Until now, no one had even seen a giant squid. Too cool. :)

Question: can the squid regenerate the lost limb? I don't know if cephalopods have this ability.

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

[I_Make_Mistakes]

55. Lobsters, crabs etc., all regenerate, I would guess they do to!

Is this the monster "Surface" is based on?

[The Stranger]

87. Unfortunately, no. The Squid's loss of limb is permanent.

The Japanese zoologist confirmed this.

[NYC]

41. They damn near killed it!

...squid lunged at the lower bait bag, succeeding only in getting itself impaled on the hook.

For the next four hours, the squid tried to get itself off the hook as the camera snapped away every 30 seconds, gaining not only unprecedented pictures but also precious information about how the squid is able to propel itself.

After a monstrous battle, the squid eventually freed itself, but left a giant tentacle on the hook...

That wasn't nice.

[Nihil]

62. Figures.

Probably the same sort of team that does "scientific" whaling ...

:eyes:

"We" have a real way of making friends with other intelligent creatures
don't "we"?

[Ksec]

52. If I had a choice of swimming with Great Whites or Humbolt or Archaetuthi

I would pick the Great Whites. If you have ever seen these giant squid in a feeding frenzy you would understand. Lightning fast, aggressive as rabid wolves and efficient.

And they would eat you alive taking baseball sized chunks of your flesh as you watched. The death would be slow and you would actually be able to watch yourself being eaten alive. It would take minutes which would feel like weeks.

One or two bites from a Great White and its over, much quicker death.

Thats why I would choose the shark to swim with

[fudge stripe cookays]

77. Erm...

I prefer the municipal pool. Thanks!

Even a bunch of annoying little kids peeing in the pool and screaming Marco Polo would be better than that. And I'm not a kid person.

FSC

[nonconformist]

59. This is awesome! My 10 yr old is going to flip out when I show him this

Yes, we've had many discussions about the elusiveness of the giant squid. :)

[deacon]

64. Thats Cheney's appendix-- false alarm n/t

[Zynx]

65. That is too cool.

I love squid and octopi so this is a very cool moment for me.

[Lautremont]

67. I've been obssessed with these things for a long time.

All you other Architeuthis obssessives ought to read Richard Ellis's "The Search for the Giant Squid." Porn for the seafood lover in you!

[Ladyhawk]

93. I've been interested for a long time, too!

Exciting that it's finally been captured on camera alive...woohoo!

[charlie]

74. Whoa. Fantastic!

Finally, a sighting by scientists and a picture. Great news, thanks for that!

[Toots]

85. If I were a Republican I would ask if we could kill it.

:shrug:

[The Stranger]

97. I think they were trying to kill it.

Why else would they have baited it with a hook?

[symbolman]

89. Sushi

that eats YOU.

[Arugula Latte]

92. Wow! The Holy Grail of wildlife photography!

Oh my gosh. This has been a long time in coming.

So cool!!

[LannyDeVaney]

98. No, this is not a giant squid...

its obviously the Spaghetti Monster God, and he made a brief appearance as a sign that DeLay would be indicted.

Hopefully, we'll be seeing more of his noodleness soon.

[spindoctor]

100. Beautiful! Thanks for posting (nt)

[Catherine Vincent]

101. I thought this was going to be a pic of Tom Delay. :-)

But that's right, he's a SLUG.

[geomon666]

102. How long before we hunt these animals to extinction?

I mean think of the calamari market.

[rockymountaindem]

103. I read on wikipedia that you can't eat them.

Evidently the giant squid specimines recovered from beaches prove that the giant squids have very high ammonium levels in their blood, rendering them quite unsavory, not to mention poisonous.

I don't think too many people will be getting them as pets either :)