THE NEW GUY.

[CEPHLAPOD JACK]

hey everyone im the new guy here and im amazed there's actually a forum for the subject of squid and octopuses! i've always had amazing fascination with these amazing animals ( squid in partiular) ever since i read Benchley's BEAST i was hooked. though there were mny scientific errors......... which brings me to a little question, what did you guys think of that book? i'll explain my little question later.......

the jack, ooooooooooya.

 

[tonmo]

Hey there -- Welcome to TONMO.com!

Even though I run the site I must admit I'm a lamer and have never read Beast. However, I did read a review of it in Richard Ellis' awesome tome Search for the Giant Squid. I eventually got in contact with Mr. Ellis, and he's since given me permission to reprint the excerpt of the book here on the site. Here's the link:

Beast Review

Looking forward to your thoughts on the book as well!

 

[Jean]

Hi Jack,

The Beast made me cringe, both the book and the movie. About the only biological thing they got right was the number of appendages (minus hooks!!) yup I'm a squid purist Still I s'pose the truth wouldn't be that visually exciting after all a boat wrecking, sub twisting, human eating monster is ever so much more interesting than a deep living, shy beast that no one has seen as an adult!!

Cheers

Jean

 

[CEPHLAPOD JACK]

well the reason i looked up this place was to get some info. And from what i've read, there are few scientists who rival your knowledge of the cephlapod species! im an author and was intrigued by the Beast novel, (though not biologically correct) and to this day it's one of my favourites. but i want to do what the acclaimed benchley couldn't, and that is do it scientifically correct. so i'll be here posting to get as much information as i can out of you guys! as long as that's okay.........i do have a question.

I read in an article that like we all the the ARC doesn't have claws, but i have read that some have claws, " retractable like that of a cat". what do you guys know about that? thanks,

the jack, oooooooooya.

 

[Jean]

Hi Jack,

I'm pretty sure archi does not have claws/hooks. The guy you really need to talk to to get all the info on this spp is our very own Steve O he's seen and dissected more of these beasts than anyone else I know of (except maybe Clyde Roper!!)

Cheers

jean

 

[Tintenfisch]

That's right, Archi has neither claws nor hooks - just sucker rings with teeth (up to about 3cm diameter) and a beak (surprisingly flimsy). Not much of a scary predator apart from its size... a big slimy teddy bear, really. But with an esophagus of about 1cm diameter, it's not going to be going after huge prey anyway.

 

[Steve O'Shea]

Sorry, I hadn't seen this post until now; Jean and Tintenfisch are quite correct - no hooks on Architeuthis. Your reference to 'retractable' hooks is interesting - I don't believe that the hooks on any squid are capable of retraction. A squid's suckers (bearing sucker rings) are stalked, and so are the suckers that bear hooks. If you have a look at figure 6 on the 'guide to octopus and squid ....' you'll see several illustrations of 'hooded hooks' - that is of a sucker possessing a hook (the sucker on a stalk), with the hook ensheathed by muscle; it can probably be retracted into this sheath, but neither the hook nor sucker can be retracted into the arm itself.
Cheers
O