The NY Times is saying that two Japanese Scientists have caught a giant squid on film

[Phil]

Video and audio report from the BBC here:

Science & Environment News - BBC News

Go to 'News and Audio' on the right hand side of the page. It contains a brief interview with Dr Kubodera. A classic question posed to the doctor, after picking up the tentacle 'Were you not concerned the tentacle might wrap itself around you and squeeze you." That's journalism for you.

The video report is more interesting as it briefly shows many images that we have not seen yet. I hope that eventually the whole sequence will be put online.

 

[OB]

If I look at the impressive photograph on the top left corner ("initial attack on jig"), released with Kubodera's publication, it brings to mind an older photograph that methinks was up for discussion on this same forum, a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.

http://homepage1.nifty.com/ozok/ika-story2.htm

It's the two shots of large red oceanic squid, the top pic showing one attacking what appears to be a hooked fellow cephalopod, apparently ripped apart... (or alternatively just some rope and a bucket)

It always struck me that the mantle of that particular beast was slightly too narrow for Architeuthis (or a Humboldt, for that matter), and the tentacles not *quite* right, too rounded,...,any thoughts? Is it just my prejudiced "sagged mantles of beached squid giving overly bloated appearance" imprinting?

 

[Clem]

Hello ob,



When Phil first turned up those two shots of large oceanic squid at the surface, I also doubted that the one you referenced showed Architeuthis, because it just didn't look right, somehow. But Architeuthis it was, and the new images taken by Kubodera and Mori immediately recalled that shot, in particular the way the arms are spread out with the tips oriented toward the animal's tail. (In the BBC online article, reference is made to "Japanese fishermen [who] have taken snaps of an adult at the surface." It's unclear if this refers to the shots you linked to, or to the older Kyoto specimen.)

It's good to remind folks that battered squid corpses can be grossly misleading about form. When I first saw the pics taken of the living GS near Kyoto, I couldn't square it with the deflated white blobs we're used to seeing.

Cheers,
Clem

 

[CapnNemo]

Hi Ob

To add to what Clem says, Dr Kubodera and the team took a sample of mtDNA COI from the tentacle which identified the squid as Architeuthis.

That BBC report is staggering in it's presentation. "it could rip a man apart" they also refer to it as "the newly discovered squid".

The reporter is at the London Aquarium in the report.

 

[chrono_war01]

How did they have a pic of that? Was the squid on the surfacing attacking a bait? And why is it on the surface in the first place?

 

[squidsinkdesign]

Do fresh architeuthis taste better?

I wonder if they tasted it...they had a sample. Maybe fresh squid taste better than the dead or dying ones...just a thought.

But this news has made my day.

 

[chrono_war01]

I would still doubt whether it would taste better, although it might have a better texture....

 

[CapnNemo]

Hey cool! The BBC report initially had a really misleading diagram for size comparison using the London Bus measurment so beloved of us giant-cephfans. They had the GS at 18m, but the outline had the tentacles folded back, so to scale the squid would have been at least 26m with the tentacles unfurled, they also had a Colossal Squid underneath, but had just enlarged and flipped the archi outline. I sent them an email pointing out the size problem and the fact that Messie looks very different to Archi (not least because of the arm to tentacle length differences) along with a link to the Giant and Colossal Squid Fact Sheet from TONMO. They've updated the comparison chart with the outlines from the TONMO sheet.

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Live giant squid caught on camera

What do you think? Is that more like it? It's the first time I've turned teuthoevangelist so I hope I did right.

 

[Jillykim]

Video Anyone?

Shirking my larval status with glee: does anyone yet know if Ku got video? Is Steve's drea a reality? If not, could Ku render one from the stills? I've changed my pants three times a day since this footage was found.....

 

[Squidman]

YESSS!

I have dreamed of seeing a live giant squid since I first watched 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, about eleven years ago. Now, my life is pointed at further observations of archie behavior.

 

[Vampyroteuthis]

In the second picture, of the giant squid with tentacles spread, it just me or does the squid only have 7 tentacles? 6 are easily visible and there is another over the mouth area... Am I just blind or?

 

[Phil]

CapnNemo,

Well done and good work! It's excellent to note that the BBC took your comments onboard. Someone out there in Auntie appears to be genuinely interested in accuracy for once. Top stuff, and may I be the first to congratulate you on the word 'teuthoevangelist'. I hope the Oxford English Dictionary recognise it immediately.

Jillykim,

There is no video fotage I'm afraid. The images were obtained from a remote camera snapping a single shot every 30 seconds for 4-5 hours. But there are 550 images in total, so lets hope we get access to all of them one day soon.

 

[Asimov]

this was all over the norwegian news too, and i saw a funny quote wich i wonder where they got from:
quick translation
"new zealands leading squit scientist Steve O'Shea, is very excited about the photos but dosnt belive the photos will give much information about the squid.
Kyoichi Mori dosnt agree
-contrarary to the the thoeory that the squid is quite inactive, the "film" of the squid shows that it actively uses its tentacles to go for the prey"

iam assuming this is a misquote from o'shea or something they just made up couse i cant see him saying that in the bbc report or anywhere else.

also they are doing an "ask the experts"(peter boyle+some norwegian "expert") in the online norwegian newspaper dagbladet.no tomorrow and i guess the questions to peter boyle will be in english at least, might be worth checking out, although we got our own expert here
should come up here tomorrow: http://www.dagbladet.no/kunnskap/2005/09/28/444745.html

 

[Steve O'Shea]

No, it is not a misquote, but it is taken out of context and presented in such a way that it appears as if I am raining on their parade - something I most certainly am not doing. Once these releases are syndicated there's no telling what turns up where. A shocking one turned up in New Zealand this morning that really made my blood boil - I'd not even spoken to anyone, and no quotes were given, but a non-named reporter had a go at me (if I find out who wrote it an unpleasant letter will result).

I am not sure if these photos tell us anything about the natural behaviour of this animal; it is extremely unlikely that they do. You get nice fluid movement between frames, 30 seconds apart, when viewed in quick succession .... but in real time I think that's probably quite sluggish movement.

There may be something in the NY Times that I wrote in the next day or so, but then again, they might not print it.

 

[chrono_war01]

which report made your blood boil? Does it have a link or something?