- Joined
- Apr 6, 2003
- Messages
- 1,839
Hello Monty,
Regarding the ability/inability of Archie to lift its tentacles above the water, I recall some discussion about it here at TONMO, and it was suggested that the animal may be able to lift them above the surface if they were in their "zipped" configuration. (Can't remember who said that. It might have been me, for all I know, and I don't qualify as an expert.) Archie's tentacles aren't particularly muscular, and are extremely flabby when the animal is dead; a moribund, weak Archie at the surface would have a hard time lifting these appendages. Then again, it should be noted that the classic sea serpent profile, presenting an undulating series of partially exposed coils with a "head" peeking above the surface, might be within an Archie's ability to project, since roughly half of the conjoined tentacles' length would still be underwater.
That's all I have to say on that matter, and would have left it at that, but I just had to do a Google search for "Achiteuthis tentacles, strength," and found this PDF, written by David Chung of the University of British Columbia. I can't judge the mathematics deployed, but the physical data, measurements, etc. seem very incomplete. If the maths were applied to a more accurate model, what would the results be? Cool stuff, and Mr. Chung is to be commended for tackling this slightly gonzo project. It may not be decisive, but it should be enough to qualify that Wiki line.
I just noticed Wiki's statement that the sperm whale and the sleeper shark are the only known predators of Architeuthis. That's only partially true, as juvenile Architeuthis specimens have been recovered from lancetfish and albatross stomachs, and there are reports of specimens recovered from billfish and sharks. The sperm whale and sleeper shark may be the only known predators of mature Architeuthis.
Cheers,
Clem
Regarding the ability/inability of Archie to lift its tentacles above the water, I recall some discussion about it here at TONMO, and it was suggested that the animal may be able to lift them above the surface if they were in their "zipped" configuration. (Can't remember who said that. It might have been me, for all I know, and I don't qualify as an expert.) Archie's tentacles aren't particularly muscular, and are extremely flabby when the animal is dead; a moribund, weak Archie at the surface would have a hard time lifting these appendages. Then again, it should be noted that the classic sea serpent profile, presenting an undulating series of partially exposed coils with a "head" peeking above the surface, might be within an Archie's ability to project, since roughly half of the conjoined tentacles' length would still be underwater.
That's all I have to say on that matter, and would have left it at that, but I just had to do a Google search for "Achiteuthis tentacles, strength," and found this PDF, written by David Chung of the University of British Columbia. I can't judge the mathematics deployed, but the physical data, measurements, etc. seem very incomplete. If the maths were applied to a more accurate model, what would the results be? Cool stuff, and Mr. Chung is to be commended for tackling this slightly gonzo project. It may not be decisive, but it should be enough to qualify that Wiki line.
I just noticed Wiki's statement that the sperm whale and the sleeper shark are the only known predators of Architeuthis. That's only partially true, as juvenile Architeuthis specimens have been recovered from lancetfish and albatross stomachs, and there are reports of specimens recovered from billfish and sharks. The sperm whale and sleeper shark may be the only known predators of mature Architeuthis.
Cheers,
Clem