How strong are colossal squids tentacles.

Blunt trauma would be the territory of things with bone or cartilage in it, or a very strong exoskeleton imo...
 
Most squids seem to use tentacles more for grabbing and grappling, but the SeaWolves guys diving with big humboldts report a lot of roughhousing and body-slamming, so at least on a jostle level it seems to be part of their behavior, but I think it's more full-body WWF moves than whacking with arms or tentacles.
 
I'll point him this way. :smile:

The Mesonychoteuthis specimen in 2004 had no stomach (it had fallen/been torn out through a gash in the mantle, probably so the fisherman could recover his hand... KIDDING), so, no stomach contents. There is substantial anecdotal evidence of Meso munching on hooked toothfish but I don't think anyone knows whether this is its preferred/natural diet or whether it has learned that hooked fish are easy food.

Baby squid will certainly, and in fact prefer to, hunt shrimp and fish 100% to 150% of their own 'size' (= length), which they generally do at least with fish by striking at the back of the head/nuchal region, hanging on and munching through the dorsal tissue until the spinal cord is severed.

However, as is being discussed in another thread, even the colossal squid's esophagus is remarkably small (I would guess less than 1.5"/4cm diameter in adults) and passes through the brain, so other than the fact that hunting a single large prey item may require less effort than hunting multiple smaller prey items, there isn't much advantage to hunting ever-larger prey. Which of course doesn't mean that they don't.

How's that for helpful? :roll:
 
Tintenfisch;108125 said:
There is substantial anecdotal evidence of Meso munching on hooked toothfish
Are photos and video considered anecdotal? (Not being snarky, genuinely curious about the height of the threshold.)

Clem
 

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Jwb187;108121 said:
I am waiting to hear Dr. O'Shea's opinion on this topic.....but I know he is probably a busy man:archi:

Stretched to capacity for the day I am afraid (thanks TTF). Will get back to this tomorrow, ok. Sorry.
 
Tintenfisch;108125 said:
Baby squid will certainly, and in fact prefer to, hunt shrimp and fish 100% to 150% of their own 'size' (= length), which they generally do at least with fish by striking at the back of the head/nuchal region, hanging on and munching through the dorsal tissue until the spinal cord is severed.


This is a somewhat wild thought, but if this is common behavior among baby squid (and I am certainly not doubting it), is it possible that there are crazy adults among the larger squid that seek to use the same technique against sperm whales, and are actually initiating encounters? It seems ludicrous, but so many scars seem to be found on the forward dorsal regions that it makes me wonder...
 
The thought is only wild, in as much that this type of behaviour would lead to a substantial opportunity of winning the Darwin award of the year in question, clearing the giant/colossal squid genepool of its least lamented protagonists. The difference in size and weight is a lot more than a mere 50% (up to 500 kg documented for Mesonychoteuthis and anywhere up to 60,000 kg for Physeter). If the whale does not make a clean kill first time around, struggling large squid can obviously lash out in a final attempt of self defense, or alternatively if the whale "misses", retaliate in mortal panic. Swimming away very, very quickly appears to me the behavioural trait best rewarded with apparent "fitness" and subsequent survival/offspring. :wink:
 
Steve has been busy with whale strandings in NZ this week, so probably hasn't been online much.
In the meantime, there was some discussion of Mesonychoteuthis' beak here, relative to that of Dosidicus.
 
Kat,
Back a week or two ago, Steve mentioned that he was afraid NZ was in for a bad year for whale strandings and you used the plural. Does his forecasted fear seem to be materializing?
 
I've lost track; one mass stranding thus far, and about 10 others in the space of a couple of weeks, single animals to 3 animals.

Not sure whether we're in for a 'bad' year for stranding. It could just be the time that these things happen and we are being notified more often.

I have been expecting a mass stranding near where we are, but it has yet to eventuate. Cross fingers that it doesn't happen.
 

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