Kirk Douglas needs to spear this mofo!

Braincase · 12-22-2006, 08:45 AM

Link to the video

Link to the story

Giant squid caught on video by Japanese scientists
Fri Dec 22, 2006 3:40am ET
TOKYO (Reuters) - Its mass of reddish tentacles flailing, a giant squid fought a losing battle to evade capture in a video unveiled by Japanese scientists on Friday.

Images of the squid -- a relatively small female about 3.5 meters (11 ft 6 in) long and weighing 50 kg (110 lb) -- were the ultimate prize for zoologists at the National Science Museum, who have been pursuing one of the ocean's most mysterious creatures for years.

"Nobody has ever seen a live giant squid except fishermen," team leader Tsunemi Kubodera of the museum's zoology department said in an interview on Friday. "We believe these are the first ever moving pictures of a giant squid."

Little was known until recently about the creature thought to have inspired the myth of the "kraken", a tentacled monster that was blamed by sailors for sinking ships off Norway in the 18th century.

Unconfirmed reports say giant squid can grow up to 20 meters long, but according to scientists they are unlikely to pose a threat to ships because they spend their lives hundreds of meters under the sea.

The Japanese research team tracked giant squid by following their biggest predators -- sperm whales -- as they gathered to feed near the Ogasawara islands, 1,000 km (620 miles) south of Tokyo between September and December.

They succeeded in taking the first still photographs of a living giant squid in 2005, observing that it moved around in the water more actively than previously thought, and captured food by entangling prey in its powerful tentacles.

The latest specimen, whose formalin-preserved carcass was displayed at a news conference at the museum in Tokyo, was caught on a baited hook laid 650 meters (2,150 ft) under the sea off the Ogasawara islands, on December 4, the scientists said.

A squid about 55 cm (21.65 inches) in length had been attracted by the bait and the giant squid was hooked when it tried to eat the smaller squid, the scientists said.

**TrebMaxx** · 12-22-2006, 10:23 AM

Wow, you could have a big calamari party!

FAX · 12-22-2006, 11:32 AM

Impressive.

According to the Marine Biology Institute of Korea, the Colossal Squid is larger than the Giant Squid by about 3 meters or so. But, the Hugely Enormous Squid is the largest squid of all. If you see one of those mothers, your best bet is to swim away.

FAX

**Rain Man** · 12-22-2006, 11:40 AM

I thought they were late to the party, but I guess the folks last year only got still photos.

http://www.chiefsplanet.com/BB/showt...ighlight=squid

Braincase · 12-22-2006, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FAX

Impressive.

According to the Marine Biology Institute of Korea, the Colossal Squid is larger than the Giant Squid by about 3 meters or so. But, the Hugely Enormous Squid is the largest squid of all. If you see one of those mothers, your best bet is to swim away.

FAX

Is that from a Python sketch?

12-22-2006, 08:45 AM
Braincase Banned Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Pond> Me <Barn Casino cash: $11298284	Kirk Douglas needs to spear this mofo! Link to the video Link to the story Giant squid caught on video by Japanese scientists Fri Dec 22, 2006 3:40am ET TOKYO (Reuters) - Its mass of reddish tentacles flailing, a giant squid fought a losing battle to evade capture in a video unveiled by Japanese scientists on Friday. Images of the squid -- a relatively small female about 3.5 meters (11 ft 6 in) long and weighing 50 kg (110 lb) -- were the ultimate prize for zoologists at the National Science Museum, who have been pursuing one of the ocean's most mysterious creatures for years. "Nobody has ever seen a live giant squid except fishermen," team leader Tsunemi Kubodera of the museum's zoology department said in an interview on Friday. "We believe these are the first ever moving pictures of a giant squid." Little was known until recently about the creature thought to have inspired the myth of the "kraken", a tentacled monster that was blamed by sailors for sinking ships off Norway in the 18th century. Unconfirmed reports say giant squid can grow up to 20 meters long, but according to scientists they are unlikely to pose a threat to ships because they spend their lives hundreds of meters under the sea. The Japanese research team tracked giant squid by following their biggest predators -- sperm whales -- as they gathered to feed near the Ogasawara islands, 1,000 km (620 miles) south of Tokyo between September and December. They succeeded in taking the first still photographs of a living giant squid in 2005, observing that it moved around in the water more actively than previously thought, and captured food by entangling prey in its powerful tentacles. The latest specimen, whose formalin-preserved carcass was displayed at a news conference at the museum in Tokyo, was caught on a baited hook laid 650 meters (2,150 ft) under the sea off the Ogasawara islands, on December 4, the scientists said. A squid about 55 cm (21.65 inches) in length had been attracted by the bait and the giant squid was hooked when it tried to eat the smaller squid, the scientists said.
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12-22-2006, 10:23 AM	#2
TrebMaxx Supporter Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Peoples Republic of CoMo Casino cash: $1507252	Wow, you could have a big calamari party!
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12-22-2006, 11:32 AM	#3
FAX testing ... 1, 2, 3 Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Tennessee Casino cash: $6753759	Impressive. According to the Marine Biology Institute of Korea, the Colossal Squid is larger than the Giant Squid by about 3 meters or so. But, the Hugely Enormous Squid is the largest squid of all. If you see one of those mothers, your best bet is to swim away. FAX
Posts: 44,492

12-22-2006, 11:40 AM	#4
Rain Man NFL's #1 Ermines Fan Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: My house Casino cash: $3348491 VARSITY	I thought they were late to the party, but I guess the folks last year only got still photos. http://www.chiefsplanet.com/BB/showt...ighlight=squid __________________ I'm putting random letters here as a celebration of free speech: xigrakgrah misorojeq rkemeseit.
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