Jaimoe Posted September 28, 2005 Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 I saw the film on the news today. Scary stuff, yet sad, because another mystery/legend of the deep has been discovered. Here's the story and photo: The giant squid attempts to detach a bait dangling beneath the camera (Image: Royal Society) First pictures of live giant squid in its natural habitat - The total length of the giant squid’s feeding tentacle is at least eight metres (Image: Royal Society). 10:58 28 September 2005 NewScientist.com news service The first ever pictures of a live giant squid in its natural environment have been snapped in deep water off Japan. Working with a cheap camera and a fishing boat, the two Japanese researchers have succeeded where millions of dollars and international film crews have failed. “This is very exciting. These pictures are a major leap forward for us,†says squid expert Mark Norman of Museum Victoria in Melbourne, Australia. Tsunemi Kubodera of the National Science Museum in Tokyo and Kyoichi Mori of the Ogasawara Whale Watching Association in Tokyo collected more than 550 digital images taken over more than four hours. These show the squid repeatedly attempting to detach a bait dangling beneath the camera, which was at a depth of 900 metres. During these attempts, the club of one of the squid’s long feeding tentacles became caught in the bait equipment. It eventually broke off, and the team retrieved and genetically sequenced the 5.5-metre-long severed section to confirm that the animal was indeed Architeuthis dux. They estimate the squid’s total length was at least eight metres. The images are set to change ideas about the giant squid’s predatory techniques. Despite its ferocious reputation in myth, experts had thought that A. dux was a sluggish predator that dangled its two long feeding tentacles like fishing rods to snare passing prey. “But the pictures show an animal that’s more like a python striking a rat,†points out Norman. Coiled tentacles The giant squid used its tentacles to grab at the bait, then coiled them into a ball, much in the way that pythons rapidly envelop their prey within coils of their body after striking, the two researchers report. The pair chose their spot carefully. They knew that sperm whales – the main predator of giant squid – gather to feed in the region, adjacent to a steep, canyoned continental slope approximately 10-15 kilometres southeast of Chichijima Island. Remains of A. dux have previously been reported floating at the surface in this spot, and have been recovered from fishing boats operating in the area. The researchers’ persistence over three years paid off spectacularly when they finally took their snapshots, says Norman. He predicts that the new images may now drive moretargeted attempts to film the squid by submarines and film crews. Juvenile specimens of A. dux have been collected from the wild by Steve O’Shea of the Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand, but despite repeated attempts, this is the first time a live adult has been observed. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Low Roller Posted September 28, 2005 Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 BBC.com ran an article on the squid this morning. Apparently the squid got caught on a hook and struggled for four hours to free itself while the cameramen squeeled in ecstasy at the footage they were capturing. Eventually the squid freed itself by ripping off its tentacle. When pulled into the boat, the tentacle was still active, and proceeded to bring a rain of terror onto everyone in the fishing boat. Five fishermen were slain instantly when the tentacle whipped itself around. Another man was killed when the tentacle wrapped itself around the scientist's head, and wouldn't release him until his lungs collapsed. The tentacle was finally trapped in a fishing net and beaten into compliance by the remaining crew with oars and buckets. True story. Here's a picture: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
\/\/illy Posted September 28, 2005 Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 Is it just me that feels bad that some poor creature had its arm torn off?(I must just be in a mood.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ge-off Posted September 28, 2005 Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 i dont feel so bad.. its a defense mechanism.. what if it was its natural enemy.. the whale.. and it got an arm stuck in its mouth.. and its body adapts and allows it to loose the limb allowing it to keep on keepin on.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deeps Posted September 28, 2005 Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 I'm with you.Hi squid. We're humans. We rip arms off for science. see you soon?Not likely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blane Posted September 28, 2005 Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 that'd make a hell of a lot of calamari rings Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davey Boy 2.0 Posted September 28, 2005 Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 New delicious species discovered. :crazy: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ge-off Posted September 28, 2005 Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 that is sad and disturbing.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timouse Posted September 28, 2005 Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 yaaaarrr squiddy....i've got nothin' against ye... captain> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peipunk Posted September 28, 2005 Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 "yarr, but I hear there be gold in yarr belly" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timouse Posted September 28, 2005 Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 "yarr, but I hear there be gold in yarr belly" thank you, peipunk, for the life of me i couldn't remember the 2nd half of that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve from Cleveland Posted September 28, 2005 Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 (edited) [napoleon dynamite] Last week, Japanese scientists explaced, placed a digital camera in the water to capture the giant squid on film [/napoleon dynamite]As I read this, I couldn't help but think of Napoleon's "current event" for some reason...Steve Edited September 28, 2005 by Guest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chewie Posted September 28, 2005 Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 "Apparently the squid got caught on a hook and struggled for four hours to free itself while the cameramen squeeled in ecstasy at the footage they were capturing. Eventually the squid freed itself by ripping off its tentacle. When pulled into the boat, the tentacle was still active, and proceeded to bring a rain of terror onto everyone in the fishing boat. Five fishermen were slain instantly when the tentacle whipped itself around. Another man was killed when the tentacle wrapped itself around the scientist's head, and wouldn't release him until his lungs collapsed. The tentacle was finally trapped in a fishing net and beaten into compliance by the remaining crew with oars and buckets."Where does it say that in the article??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richbass Posted September 28, 2005 Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 don't people have better things to eat like mcdonalds or any of that other crap? Leave the monkeys out of this!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bONES Posted September 28, 2005 Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 Leave the monkeys out of this!!!ummm...that was from the onion! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisley Posted September 29, 2005 Report Share Posted September 29, 2005 wowlookout bigfoot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onthejourney Posted September 29, 2005 Report Share Posted September 29, 2005 well, the 'delicacy ape' isn't extinct yet but i have a suspicion it might be soon...too bad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveThe Owl Posted September 29, 2005 Report Share Posted September 29, 2005 Believe me, there is no end to what people are willing to chop up, roll in breading, and fry.Mmmm... breaded monkeys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Low Roller Posted September 29, 2005 Report Share Posted September 29, 2005 "Apparently the squid got caught on a hook and struggled for four hours to free itself while the cameramen squeeled in ecstasy at the footage they were capturing. Eventually the squid freed itself by ripping off its tentacle. When pulled into the boat, the tentacle was still active, and proceeded to bring a rain of terror onto everyone in the fishing boat. Five fishermen were slain instantly when the tentacle whipped itself around. Another man was killed when the tentacle wrapped itself around the scientist's head, and wouldn't release him until his lungs collapsed. The tentacle was finally trapped in a fishing net and beaten into compliance by the remaining crew with oars and buckets."Where does it say that in the article???You're not serious right? [color:purple]I read about it on Fox News. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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