[Note from tonmo]: Here are a bunch of news stories (and a photo) octobot picked up on this morning regarding a washed-up "giant squid". [Edit: I had said this looked to me like Mesonychoteuthis, but if Clem is ready to start dining on himself if I am right, well... I hope I am wrong! I hereby retract my observation...!]
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The Age (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/0i-0&fd=R&url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/07/11/1183833568590.html%3Ffrom%3Dtop5&cid=1118044505&ei=nKmURsriNpGw0QHE3b19)
Scientists race time to examine giant squid (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/0-0&fd=R&url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-07/11/content_6360391.htm&cid=1118044505&ei=nKmURsriNpGw0QHE3b19)
Xinhua, China - 54 minutes ago
BEIJING, July 11 (Xinhuanet) -- Scientists are racing against time to examine one of the largest giant squid ever found after it washed up on a remote ...
Squid as Long as Bus Washes Up on Australian Beach (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/0-1&fd=R&url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,288904,00.html&cid=1118044505&ei=nKmURsriNpGw0QHE3b19) FOX News
Rare giant squid washed up in Australia (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/0-2&fd=R&url=http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSSYD32838320070711&cid=1118044505&ei=nKmURsriNpGw0QHE3b19) Reuters
Bus long squid washed up on Aussie beach (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/0-3&fd=R&url=http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0700world/tm_headline%3Dbus-long-squid-washed-up-on-aussie-beach%26method%3Dfull%26objectid%3D19438 241%26siteid%3D50082-name_page.html&cid=1118044505&ei=nKmURsriNpGw0QHE3b19) ic Wales
NEWS.com.au (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/0-4&fd=R&url=http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22055939-1702,00.html&cid=1118044505&ei=nKmURsriNpGw0QHE3b19) - NEWS.com.au (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/0-5&fd=R&url=http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22055405-29277,00.html&cid=1118044505&ei=nKmURsriNpGw0QHE3b19)
all 62 news articles

More... (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/0-0&fd=R&url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-07/11/content_6360391.htm&cid=1118044505&ei=nKmURsriNpGw0QHE3b19)

Giant squid washes up on Tas beach (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/2-0&fd=R&url=http://www.2gb.com/index.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26task% 3Dview%26id%3D3340%26Itemid%3D204&cid=0&ei=nKmURsriNpGw0QHE3b19)
2GB News, Australia - 53 minutes ago
The giant squid weighs 250 kilograms, has a diameter as big as a truck tyre and is longer than a station wagon, one of the biggest ever discovered. ...


More... (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/2-0&fd=R&url=http://www.2gb.com/index.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26task% 3Dview%26id%3D3340%26Itemid%3D204&cid=0&ei=nKmURsriNpGw0QHE3b19)

Pharyngula gave us a plug about how this is the place to go to discuss this (thanks PZ): http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2007/07/finding_a_big_dead_thing_would.php

so I guess we'd better think of clever things to say.

The Reuters article says it's Architeuthis and it doesn't look like most of the Mesonychoteuthis pics to me... they usually seem to have sort of a wide mantle when they're out of the water, and this one seems to be pretty cylindrical. My :twocents: is on :archi: particularly because Tasmania's somewhat north of colossal squid country.

If that's not Architeuthis, I shall resort to autophagy.

Arm poised before mouth,
Clem

I would have to go with Archie as well, based upon the same reasons that Monty pointed out.

Pharyngula gave us a plug about how this is the place to go to discuss this (thanks PZ): http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2007/07/finding_a_big_dead_thing_would.php

so I guess we'd better think of clever things to say.
Well then I've just removed my stupidity from the seed note! Architeuthis it is!

Indeedy, and not at all as large as captions wish to indicate. Still pretty large, though :smile:

Massive squid washes up on Tasmania (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/1-0&fd=R&url=http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php%3Ffeed%3DScience%26article%3DU PI-1-20070711-10535900-bc-australia-giantsquid.xml&cid=0&ei=Z_uVRr7qHKOc0AHttLB-)
Science Daily (press release) - 18 hours ago
They are deep-ocean dwelling squid ... > full article Intelligence of squid and octopuses -- The cephalopod class of mollusks are considered the most ...


More... (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/1-0&fd=R&url=http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php%3Ffeed%3DScience%26article%3DU PI-1-20070711-10535900-bc-australia-giantsquid.xml&cid=0&ei=Z_uVRr7qHKOc0AHttLB-)

Monster squid washes in with the waves (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/2-0&fd=R&url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm%3Fc_id%3D2%26objectid%3D104510 26&cid=0&ei=Z_uVRr7qHKOc0AHttLB-)
New Zealand Herald, New Zealand - 14 hours ago
HOBART - A giant squid washed up dead on Tasmania's west coast is one of the biggest ever found, weighing in at 250kg, with a cross-section as big as a ...


More... (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/2-0&fd=R&url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm%3Fc_id%3D2%26objectid%3D104510 26&cid=0&ei=Z_uVRr7qHKOc0AHttLB-)

Giant squid washes up in Australia (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/3-0&fd=R&url=http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article%3FAID%3D/20070711/NEWS07/70711010/1009&cid=0&ei=Z_uVRr7qHKOc0AHttLB-)
Detroit Free Press, United States - 18 hours ago
AP HOBART, Australia — A squid as long as a bus and weighing 550 pounds washed up on an Australian beach, officials said Wednesday. ...


More... (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/3-0&fd=R&url=http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article%3FAID%3D/20070711/NEWS07/70711010/1009&cid=0&ei=Z_uVRr7qHKOc0AHttLB-)

GIANT SQUID HITS AUSTRALIAN BEACH (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/4-0&fd=R&url=http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/popup%3Fid%3D3365753&cid=0&ei=Z_uVRr7qHKOc0AHttLB-)
ABC News - 20 hours ago
A giant squid washed up onto Ocean Beach in Strahan, Tasmania, Wednesday. The squid, measuring 3 feet across at its widest point and 26 feet from the tip of ...


More... (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/4-0&fd=R&url=http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/popup%3Fid%3D3365753&cid=0&ei=Z_uVRr7qHKOc0AHttLB-)

GIANT SQUID HITS AUSTRALIA BEACH (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/5-0&fd=R&url=http://www.abcnews.go.com/Technology/popup%3Fid%3D3365753&cid=0&ei=Z_uVRr7qHKOc0AHttLB-)
ABC News - 21 hours ago
A giant squid washed up onto Ocean Beach in Strahan, Tasmania, on Wednesday. The squid, measuring 1 meter (3 feet) across at its widest point and 8 meters ...


More... (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/5-0&fd=R&url=http://www.abcnews.go.com/Technology/popup%3Fid%3D3365753&cid=0&ei=Z_uVRr7qHKOc0AHttLB-)

Giant squid! Ia! Ia! Cthulhu Fhtaghn! (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/8-0&fd=R&url=http://mattstaggs.blogspot.com/2007/07/giant-squid-ia-ia-cthulhu-fhtaghn.html&cid=0&ei=Z_uVRr7qHKOc0AHttLB-)
SkullRing.org, MS - 7 hours ago
A giant squid reported to be as long as a bus washed up on a beach in Australia this week. In what must be an entry for the "understatement of the year" ...


More... (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/8-0&fd=R&url=http://mattstaggs.blogspot.com/2007/07/giant-squid-ia-ia-cthulhu-fhtaghn.html&cid=0&ei=Z_uVRr7qHKOc0AHttLB-)


Mongabay.com (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/9i-0&fd=R&url=http://news.mongabay.com/2007/0711-squid.html&cid=0&ei=Z_uVRr7qHKOc0AHttLB-)
giant squid found in Australia (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/9-0&fd=R&url=http://news.mongabay.com/2007/0711-squid.html&cid=0&ei=Z_uVRr7qHKOc0AHttLB-)
Mongabay.com - 18 hours ago
A giant squid has washed up on a beach on the western coast of the Australian island Tasmania, reports Reuters. The beast measured eight meters (26 feet) ...


More... (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/9-0&fd=R&url=http://news.mongabay.com/2007/0711-squid.html&cid=0&ei=Z_uVRr7qHKOc0AHttLB-)

They keep saying "as long as a bus". Don't they mean "double-decker bus"?

My sentiments exactly, and the 1 meter/ 3 foot width seems a bit awkward to me, judging by the pictures. 8 meters total length for this specimen is plain weird, unless they count the assumed length of the missing tentacles, obviously. 2m ML seems about right, making it big, but stil 10"/25 cm's short of recorddom.

OK guys, I can see that one coming, don't! :wink:

Sail World (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/1i-0&fd=R&url=http://www.sail-world.com/indexs.cfm%3FNid%3D35652%26rid%3D13%26sc %3Dcrw&cid=1118086937&ei=dkyXRuSJJYiy0AHq2OWJAQ)
Rare giant squid washed up on Tas West Coast (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/1-0&fd=R&url=http://www.sail-world.com/indexs.cfm%3FNid%3D35652%26rid%3D13%26sc %3Dcrw&cid=1118086937&ei=dkyXRuSJJYiy0AHq2OWJAQ)
Sail World, Australia - 9 hours ago
The rare giant squid washed up on the State's remote West Coast is the fourth found in Tasmania in the month of July in the past 11 years. ...
Rare giant squid on its way to Hobart (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/1-1&fd=R&url=http://ibnnews.org/national/rare_giant_squid_en_route_to_hobart_1370 7_589536256887_000000.html&cid=1118086937&ei=dkyXRuSJJYiy0AHq2OWJAQ) IBN News
Giant squid on Tassie beach (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/1-2&fd=R&url=http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,22060455-953,00.html&cid=1118086937&ei=dkyXRuSJJYiy0AHq2OWJAQ) Courier Mail
Giant squid washes up on Tas beach (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/1-3&fd=R&url=http://www.2gb.com/index.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26task% 3Dview%26id%3D3340%26Itemid%3D204&cid=1118086937&ei=dkyXRuSJJYiy0AHq2OWJAQ) 2GB News
all 5 news articles

More... (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/1-0&fd=R&url=http://www.sail-world.com/indexs.cfm%3FNid%3D35652%26rid%3D13%26sc %3Dcrw&cid=1118086937&ei=dkyXRuSJJYiy0AHq2OWJAQ)

They keep saying "as long as a bus". Don't they mean "double-decker bus"?

Whilst in the States I noticed that you stretch everything (I took some pics of some seriously mean stretched SUVs). One thing I didn't see was a stretched bus. Come to think of it I never saw a truncated bus either. A bus would appear to be a good unit of measure.:wink:

A bus would appear to be a good unit of measure.:wink:

Is that an imperial or metric bus :grin:

Whilst in the States I noticed that you stretch everything (I took some pics of some seriously mean stretched SUVs). One thing I didn't see was a stretched bus. Come to think of it I never saw a truncated bus either. A bus would appear to be a good unit of measure.:wink:

I've never seen a stretch Prius or a stretch motorcycle, but did you see any of these?

http://www.tanklimo.com/