Abstract:
The giant squid is the largest species of squid, with the largest one recorded at 43 feet long and weighing over a ton. The giant squid was not actually seen alive until in the 2000s when the first pictures were taken of it in 2004. Anatomy wise they are just large squid, but they are still very interesting creatures.
The giant squid is the largest species of squid, with the largest one recorded at 43 feet long and weighing over a ton. The giant squid was not actually seen alive until in the 2000s when the first pictures were taken of it in 2004. Anatomy wise they are just large squid, but they are still very interesting creatures.
Research:
The giant is exactly what its name says it is, a huge squid. The largest one ever recorded was almost 43 feet long and weighed over a ton. A creature of that size should be pretty hard to miss, but they are actually very rare. This is because they live 1,000 to 2,000 feet deep in the ocean, also known as the twilight zone. Most of the ones that have been found were dead carcasses that had floated to the surface.
The first photographs of a live giant squid in its natural habitat were taken on 30 September 2004, by Tsunemi Kubodera (the National Science Museum of Japan) and Kyoichi Mori (the Ogasawara Whale Watching Association). Their teams worked for almost 2 years to get these pictures. The squid was then first recorded live in 2006, after researchers suspended bait beneath a research vessel off the Ogasawara Islands to try and hook a giant squid. As the camera whirred, the research team pulled a 24-foot squid to the surface alive enabling people around the world to finally see a living, breathing giant squid.
The giant is exactly what its name says it is, a huge squid. The largest one ever recorded was almost 43 feet long and weighed over a ton. A creature of that size should be pretty hard to miss, but they are actually very rare. This is because they live 1,000 to 2,000 feet deep in the ocean, also known as the twilight zone. Most of the ones that have been found were dead carcasses that had floated to the surface.
The first photographs of a live giant squid in its natural habitat were taken on 30 September 2004, by Tsunemi Kubodera (the National Science Museum of Japan) and Kyoichi Mori (the Ogasawara Whale Watching Association). Their teams worked for almost 2 years to get these pictures. The squid was then first recorded live in 2006, after researchers suspended bait beneath a research vessel off the Ogasawara Islands to try and hook a giant squid. As the camera whirred, the research team pulled a 24-foot squid to the surface alive enabling people around the world to finally see a living, breathing giant squid.
The anatomy of a giant squid is very similar to a normal squid, just much larger. Just like a normal squid, giant squid have 2 feeding tentacles which are tipped with hundreds of powerful sharp-toothed suckers. These tentacles, however, can snatch prey up to 33 feet away. They also have 8 arms, a sharp beak, a complex brain and complex eyes like any ordinary squid does. This squid has the largest eyes in the animal kingdom at a foot in diameter, giving it even better sight than your ordinary squid.
Since the giant squid has evolved to be so large, it has few predators, however it still has some. The sperm whale has been found to have giant squid beaks, as well as other undigested pieces of giant squid, in their stomachs. Scientists are able to use these beaks that they find in sperm whales to determine how large the squid was that it ate. From this they can figure out if there is an even larger giant squid than has been recorded.
Giant squid usually eat deep water fish and other squid, including other giant squid. They will also attack schools of fish from below, quickly ascending into shallower waters to grab a meal and then retreating to a safer depth. Once prey is caught by the suckers and teeth on the feeding tentacles, the squid will rein it in and bring it towards its beak with its eight arms. The beak breaks the food down into smaller pieces, and the radula, a tongue-like organ covered in teeth, grinds it down further. Then the food goes down the esophagus, which travels through the squid's brain, to get to the stomach.
Giant squid usually eat deep water fish and other squid, including other giant squid. They will also attack schools of fish from below, quickly ascending into shallower waters to grab a meal and then retreating to a safer depth. Once prey is caught by the suckers and teeth on the feeding tentacles, the squid will rein it in and bring it towards its beak with its eight arms. The beak breaks the food down into smaller pieces, and the radula, a tongue-like organ covered in teeth, grinds it down further. Then the food goes down the esophagus, which travels through the squid's brain, to get to the stomach.
Conclusion:
The giant squid is a very interesting species. They are very rare and before pictures of them were taken, they were largely regarded as just a myth. Not much is known about them because they are hard to find but they appear to be just what their name says they are, large squid.
The giant squid is a very interesting species. They are very rare and before pictures of them were taken, they were largely regarded as just a myth. Not much is known about them because they are hard to find but they appear to be just what their name says they are, large squid.