Click here for the MSN article about some NZ fishermen who have caught a colossal squid. I don't know much about colossal squid - I'm just off in a moment to check Wikipedia for more information about them - but I'm fascinated by the idea of these enormous yet illusory creatures. I think they're truly weird.
"Hey, this piece of food looks like it's not belonging to someone. Perhaps I'll just have a little taste, eh?" "Ouch! What's hurting my mouth?" And then he gets suffocated to death. Poor squid. :-( What I like about squid and octopuses is how they do things so different from most animals. "Backbone? Nah, don't need it!" "Opposing thumbs? Forget it, I'm in the parrot beak and suction cup business!" "Fins? No way, I got my nifty little jet propulsion, see?" And some squid can change their skin colour in ways that would make a chameleon go hide under a blanket. These are animals that are claimed to be smarter than the average pet cat or dog. A truly amazing animal, and I think they should be left alone where they belong, in the deep seas, happily jetting around looking for things to grab with their suction cups.
squids are weird. Amazing but weird... The giant ones have been known to wash up on beaches or get caught in fishermen's nets for centuries, but only because when they die they rise to the surface, if nothing eats them on the way up, we get a glimpse... Recently they managed to catch a live one, but I think it died pretty fast.
I like suid and octopus and things- they're interesting. I'm not sure if it's a type of squid, or cuttlefish, that can not only do different colours, but actual patterns. In the thing I saw about it, they put a chessboard in a fishtank with a whatever-it-was, and it made itelf the same pattern, it was amazing.
Yes, I agree. And, since that's largely what happens, I think it's extra fascinating when we happen to stumble across each other's paths. The fishermen weren't trying to catch a colossal squid, but they did. And I'll certainly look and say, "Wow, what an amazing creature!"
Yep yep. I read the article after I made my post. I agree, the fishermen can hardly be blamed in this case.
I've seen other pictures of those things, it's pretty unreal how big they are. Hard to believe there's space for all those tentacles down there. They always make me think of squid rings though, and then I feel a little bit guilty.
What I can't understand is how these giant creatures, without any support of any kind, can live so deep underwater where the pressure is enormous and not deflate. Shouldn't they be like... three cm thick?
Perhaps it is the very pressure that is supporting their huge bodies? That could be why we don't see that many of the big ones, because their eyes pop out of their heads if they rise to the surface? Just a thought...
