West Palm Beach Carcass

[chipster]

A diver in West Palm Beach took this photo of what appears to be a squid carcass on August 30, 2004. The remoras are between 60 and 90 cm long. Anyone? I am searching for more info...

 

[monty]

A diver in West Palm Beach took this photo of what appears to be a squid carcass on August 30, 2004. The remoras are between 60 and 90 cm long. Anyone? I am searching for more info...

call me a cynic, but I think it looks like some kind of artificial thing, like perhaps a boat bumper. The line down the side looks more like a manufacturing mark than a place where a fin was ripped off or something. But I'm really just going on my gut impression.

 

[chipster]

The source stated "organic" the nature of the thing, I am trying to locate other photos to refute or confirm this. I am not knowingly trying to dupe anyone! Thanks for the help.

 

[monty]

The source stated "organic" the nature of the thing, I am trying to locate other photos to refute or confirm this. I am not knowingly trying to dupe anyone! Thanks for the help.

I didn't mean in any way to suggest you were trying to dupe anyone, just that it looks weird and man-made to me for some reason. After I posted, I was thinking that it seemed odd that it seems very rigid, and that the mantle appears to be hollow, without any internal organs or viscera... something about the way it's fuzzy and fraying at the edges doesn't seem like molluscan muscle, either; it seems a lot more fiberous than I'd expect.

 

[Architeuthoceras]

Looks like a squid to me

The line is either ventral or dorsal, and the tentacle bases are on the left. Hard to see where a gladius would fit though.

 

[monty]

Looks like a squid to me

The line is either ventral or dorsal, and the tentacle bases are on the left. Hard to see where a gladius would fit though.

Chipster emailed me some much higher resolution images, and some of the things that looked off to me disappeared when looking closely, so I think I was too cynical. I had been thinking the lines were lateral rather than dorsal/ventral, but I guess I don't have any reason for that except that I thought they might have been the attachment points for one of those squids with big triangular fins that run the whole length of the mantle. Why do you think they're dorsal or ventral? Also, note that there is a line on the inside of the mantle opposite the one visible on the outside...

Can you post the other pics, Chipster, or may I? There are some interesting gouges shown in one of the pictures, where it looks like the photographer rolled it away from the camera in one of them...

 

[main_board]

Well the mantle is probably hollow as the internal organs are much softer and more fragile than the muscular mantle. That'd make the organs the first to break down, the easiest to consume, and possibly quite tasty to some small fish that could just waltz right in the big gapping hole at the top of the animal and feast. Though it may not be a squid, I would definitely think that it'd be organic at least fiven the presence of the remoras, including one suctioned on and possibly feeding.

I look forward to seeing more pictures, if possible.
Cheers!

 

[monty]

Well the mantle is probably hollow as the internal organs are much softer and more fragile than the muscular mantle. That'd make the organs the first to break down, the easiest to consume, and possibly quite tasty to some small fish that could just waltz right in the big gapping hole at the top of the animal and feast. Though it may not be a squid, I would definitely think that it'd be organic at least fiven the presence of the remoras, including one suctioned on and possibly feeding.

I look forward to seeing more pictures, if possible.
Cheers!

Yeah, that makes sense. I also mentioned in the email but forgot in the post that the mantle may look more rigid than it is because in water it's close to (or exactly, if it's ammoniacal) neutral buoyancy, so it doesn't sag under its own weight at all. So most of the things that seemed non-ceph initially disappeared under closer inspection.

 

[sorseress]

Hey Monty, you're a cynic!

 

[Tintenfisch]

Wow, cool shot!

The horizontal line looks like the dorsal median line to me, with the gladius kind-of-but-not-quite visible underneath. The rigid appearance is a little weird, but the rest of the features look very squiddy to me.

 

[erich orser]

Looks like a squid from here as well.

 

[chipster]

Palm Beach Carcass?

I have the additional photos monty mentioned. but trouble uploading now, I can email them if anyone else is interested, Monty can pass them on as well. If anyone could comment on potential species or familiy, I'd love to hear... Thanks

 

[Clem]

Hello Chipster,

Great mystery you have, here. It does look like a squid, for the reasons Architeuthoceras mentioned (structures that look like arm stumps and dorso-ventral lines) but also for the slight indentation visible in the tube, as if it were pinched just above the "head." This indent gives some squid mantles a distinctive Coke-bottle profile.

As for a species ID (if it's a squid), I don't think that's possible without a lot more photos that show characteristic features in detail, such as the funnel or mantle attachment points.

Still, great fun mystery and please post more photos.

Also:

The rigid appearance is a little weird, but the rest of the features look very squiddy to me.

Those resting remoras look like they've oriented themselves in the direction of the current. Current pushing into the tube might puff it out some, yes?

Cheers,
Clem

 

[Tintenfisch]

Hmm, could be... though I would expect it to puff the tube out in this way if it were coming from the direction of the arms, entering the mantle at its anterior margin; coming from the other direction I would expect it rather to flatten the pointy end?
Maybe the remoras are smiling for the camera...

 

[Architeuthoceras]

Could it be that only remains washed ashore turn into globsters and those still in the sea keep their shape a little longer?

hmmm... didnt catch anything for calling them tentacle bases instead of arm bases.