[NEWS]: Falkland Islands Architeuthis

hey dont bash the giant squids in faulkland... they are our first line of defense against the almighty emperor penguins of antartica armed with laser beams and rocket launchers when they invade the americas through the southern end of south america commanded by morgan freeman
 
Phil said:
Dub_doctor,

A quick word of advice. Get to the BMNH as early as you can, find the Darwin Centre and book yourself on a tour. Only a dozen or so people are allowed in every half an hour and it can get busy sometimes. It can be booked solid by 13:00, and that's without the attraction of the Architeuthis. You can spend the intervening time wandering around that magnificent museum. If you turn up at 2:30 you could be disappointed.

Phil

Dang. Wish I'd taken your advice. All the tours were full up by the time I got there. Also, apparently you are not allowed to take in any children, even tiny ones. Something to do with the alcohol fumes and health and safety. This makes it very difficult for me to go at all since I have to look after my little one. She's also VERY disappointed, since she loved the Melbourne squid so much. We just had to make do with the little Architeuthis head in a jar which is on public display.

I'll try to go back on my own in the next week, and this time I'll phone ahead to book.
 
I'm really sorry to hear you could not make it in. Hopefully later in the week you may be more fortunate.

I'd rather hoped the specimen would be on full public display as opposed to the booking-only behind the scenes tour. Pity, but I doubt if it'll be moved now given the logistics of moving that enormous display case.

Still, there's plenty more in London to go and see. Why not try the London Eye? The view from that is supposed to be spectacular.
 
These are three pictures that were released: I fear the formaldehyde has taken a bit of a toll here, when comparing the current status of this particular beasty to the impressive pic in Dub Doctor's earlier post...
 
Come to think of it: here you have a well frozen hardly damaged Architeuthis specimen, we live in the 21st century with liquid nitrogen, nanotechnology, Australian 1 million rounds per minute weapon systems and what have you, controversial human corpse displays by renegade german artists/scientists and one of the top natural history museums in the world totally makes a mess of things....

A museum 45 minutes flying time from where I live...

Quite a wasted opportunity, really :sad:
 
UK Archie news

Hey there,

I have been lucky enough to see the Natural History Museum Squid already and those pictures don't do it any justice (I couldn't take any pictures as you can't take photo's in the Museums Tank Room something to do with flashes fading specimens ...)

'Archie' looks pretty complete and in really good condition ... some of the UK press photos are pretty good if you can find them on the web.

I would reccommend going but heard it's booked up for a while now. Apparently it had to be on the behind the scenes tour rather than the main museum due to the amount of formaldehyde it was in and health and saftey stuff....

Anyway this is my first post - I normally just read - so hello all
 
You give us hope, Monkey Seat :biggrin2:

And :welcome:

I'm just an old cynic, that's all.... Have only seen the Smithsonian specimen so far.

Cheers,

Olaf
 
ob said:
These are three pictures that were released: I fear the formaldehyde has taken a bit of a toll here, when comparing the current status of this particular beasty to the impressive pic in Dub Doctor's earlier post...

Judging by the chap wearing the full formaldehyde respirator mask, and the general layout of the room, I would say that that picture was taken quite early on, probably not too long after the squid was entered into the tank, and well before the exhibit was opened to the public.

I don't think there is any 'decomposition' going on - what I am seeing there is pretty standard for a preserved specimen. Have they suspended it from the tank floor (anyone that has seen it), or is it resting as depicted in those pics?

I have yet to hear back from Gunther re the plastinated squid (I have heard nothing for a very long time), so I don't know how that is progressing.

In all honesty, a dead squid will always be a dead squid, but it will be the closest you'll ever get to this animal until such a time as we develop 'Squid Zoo' ... where you can go and see live animals, watch the keepers feed them sperm whales, submersibles and divers and watch them chomp them to bits:wink: , and park a double-decker bus outside for scale.

What they have done is mighty impressive .... and looking at that tank and stand, MIGHTY expensive!!!

Donations sought now for establishing 'Squid Zoo'.
 
Steve O'Shea said:
What they have done is mighty impressive .... and looking at that tank and stand, MIGHTY expensive!!!

Agreed on both accounts. As I said, just being cynical, indeed probably for reasons of Squid Zoo not yet being a reality :biggrin2:
 

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