Giant Squid news

From: Dr. Codini <Codini@subgeniusdot.whatever>
Newsgroups: alt.slack
Date: Fri, Dec 21, 2001

Giant Squid of Legend Seen in World's Oceans

Friday, December 21, 2001

A legendary monster of the deep has emerged into the 21st century as
scientific fact.

Giant squids measuring up to 23 feet long have been observed and
photographed in all three of the world's major oceans, suggesting that
they may be commonplace around the globe.

They are the largest variety of giant squid to have been seen alive by
scientists. Their apparent abundance may account for many tales of the
beast of the sea that fought with Captain Nemo's Nautilus in 20,000
Leagues Under the Sea and gave rise to the myth of the Kraken and
perhaps to Homer's Scylla.

Oceanographers in submersibles have sighted the squid in the Gulf of
Mexico and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. Writing in
Science, the research team says: "That such a substantial animal is
common in the world's largest ecosystem, yet has not been previously
captured or observed, is an indication of how little is known about
life in the deep ocean."

Scientists believe that the squid are a separate species, although
they cannot confirm their identity until a specimen is captured. The
giants have thin and flimsy arms and tentacles, which are longer than
any known type, measuring more than 10 times the length of their
bodies.

The true giant squid, which can reach the size of a double-decker bus,
remains one of the most elusive creatures of the ocean. Dead specimens
measuring up to 60ft and weighing up to a tonne have been found in
fishermen's nets around New Zealand, Newfoundland and Norway, and they
are thought to account for the bites and suction marks that are seen
on the flanks of sperm whales, which are known to hunt them. None has
been observed alive.

The newly observed type has much weaker tentacles. Even so, its size
and appearance would have been fearsome to seafarers who encountered
it, and researchers believe that it contributed to the legend.

It has been seen eight times by scientists from America, Japan, Spain
and France, who watched as it approached their submersibles without
any obvious signs of fear. William Sager, Professor of Oceanography at
Texas A&M University, who observed a relatively small specimen last
summer in the Gulf of Mexico from the submersible Alvin, said: "I've
seen plenty of squid before ... this was different. It had thin
tentacles that stretched six to eight feet at least. And the tentacles
looked much thinner and weaker than on a more usual squid.

"It just hung there, looking at us, as if suddenly seeing Alvin float
up like a whale with lights was no big deal. We photographed and
videotaped it for five to ten minutes, and when we got to shore, we
went looking for someone who could identify it."

Professor Sager teamed up with Mike Vecchione, of the National Museum
of Natural History in Washington, D.C., who put the observations
together with other sightings.

"During my dives to explore the ocean's depths, I've encountered
numerous odd and unusual creatures," Professor Sager said. "The
significance of this squid is that it has been seen only eight times
but sightings have been worldwide, suggesting that this critter is
widespread. The fact that we are still finding previously unknown
creatures in the year 2001 just highlights scientists' depth of
ignorance about the deep oceans."

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Original file name: Giant Squid news.txt - converted on Friday, 20 September 2002, 16:05