View Full Version : [NEWS]: Falkland Islands Architeuthis
An Architeuthis was captured in waters around the South Atlantic Falkland Islands on 5th March. It is en route to the Natural History Museum in London for study (hopefully display?). This animal was caught 30 miles SW of Weddell Island of off West Falkland. From the photo it looks like a biggie.....
Details here:
http://www.falkland-malvinas.com/Detalle.asp?NUM=3536
Steve O'Shea
Apr 15, '04, 9:02pm
... and we had one caught in NZ last week too, but more on that ... one of these days. Long story.
Shame about the length and weight errors in the Falkland report. Commonly attain 5 metre ML and 20 m TL? This really is frustrating to have this nonsense perpetuated like this!
Yikes; Kat just brought the 2.7m ML measure to my attention; another exaggerated claim there! That's a VERY TALL man in the background then, with the squid in the foreground; at 200kg and TL of 30 foot it's ~ 2m ML (or less). Obviously it will have shrunk by the time it reaches London!
WhiteKiboko
Apr 15, '04, 9:04pm
"Dr. Arkhipin said that it is quite common for squid of this species to grow to a mantle length of 5 meters and an overall length of 20 meters."
sigh
bold face is mine...
[edit] ok, seems steve was a little quicker with the typing
cthulhu77
Apr 15, '04, 11:40pm
I thought that 200 meters was common too! :roll:
typical of news papers though...what can you do?
greg
Ainbhlinn
Apr 16, '04, 4:21am
Quite common for the squid to reach lengths of 5m eh?
By 5m you mean five miles, right? :sink:
:bonk:
aron hills
Apr 16, '04, 5:13am
Yeah, and eat fishing boats (and crew) whole! - or so the papers tell me... :lol:
cthulhu77
Apr 16, '04, 9:15am
That is still a big squid...I am sure if you happened to be diving and it flared past you, it would give you the willies!
I wish I still had my map of the sea floor...(lost :( ) would be interesting to see if there is a trench around that area...anyone have one out there?
greg
joel_ang
Apr 16, '04, 10:40am
I think it could be around 2 metres. 2.7 m isn't too far off but 5m?! :shock:
joel_ang
Apr 16, '04, 10:44am
Wait a sec, does the squid in the picture include tentacles?
A further image is available on Penguin News here:
http://www.penguin-news.com/
The mantle length currently stands at a more reasonable 2.1m and weight at 200 kilos...until the next news report, that is! :)
cthulhu77
Apr 16, '04, 5:46pm
What ! Manfred Keenlyside ? the archenemy of Dr. Walter F. Schoepehaoursoneselveltlichtenstein?
Not the same man, I hope!
greg
joel_ang
Apr 16, '04, 8:06pm
Isn't 10m for a total length rather long?
cthulhu77
Apr 17, '04, 10:18am
No, no...didn't you read the paper? The commonly attain those lengths, if not in fact longer! :lol:
Snafflehound
Apr 18, '04, 3:54am
Maybe if we all spent $20 we could pool the money and buy :oshea: a squid-stretching rack like the ones medieval torturers used. Then he could just adjust the length of the archi to fit whatever the newspaper reported it as being. :P
Steve O'Shea
Apr 18, '04, 4:50pm
I'd probably put it to better use on straightening my back out. I've lifted one too many squid of late and am paying the price. It's a tad embarrassing when walking or siting somewhere and the nerves pinch, sending me into spiral to the ground or flying off a chair. Doesn't look good; tends to freak people out.
WhiteKiboko
Apr 18, '04, 5:02pm
Stretch your hamstrings my good doctor, if im not mistaken, tight hamstrings are among the leading causes of back pain....
cant wrestle those :mesonych: if youre not in fighting shape!
Steve O'Shea
Apr 18, '04, 5:17pm
What strings? Where do I find those? Not sure if I have any actually; can't find the label anyway.
The vertebrae are all over the show I'm afraid, to the left, to the right, popping out and poking in. I think the stretching rack is a better proposition - might get rid of this headache too.
cthulhu77
Apr 18, '04, 9:41pm
You just need a nice soothing massage to relax those verts...maybe listen to some Neil Diamond.
hehe.
An Architeuthis was captured in waters around the South Atlantic Falkland Islands on 5th March...From the photo it looks like a biggie.....
...and it's using children as human shields. (http://www.falkland-malvinas.com/ImgNoticias/Squid_gigante.jpg) Will these depraved Falkland squid stop at nothing?
Clem
cthulhu77
Apr 19, '04, 9:03am
Next thing you know, they'll be strapping bombs on the kids too!
joel_ang
Apr 19, '04, 9:30am
Next thing you know, they'll be strapping bombs on the kids too!
Why don't the ones on my belt work???
um...
Apr 19, '04, 10:13am
Can't use Play-Doh, lad.
joel_ang
Apr 21, '04, 6:23am
Doh!
I guess I'll just use bio-terrorism from now on :cry:
BigSquid8Me
Apr 21, '04, 10:50pm
I would not advise that this 'giant' squid be used for human consumption as the flesh contains a high level of ammonia.
All I can imagine now is a plate full of the biggest calamari in the world surrounded by a great many green-faced diners. Are such high ammonia levels (meaning indigestible amounts) unique to squid like Architeuthis, or is it just a proportionate ratio thing?
BigSquid
Tintenfisch
Apr 21, '04, 11:02pm
Many species of squid have high concentrations of ammonium ions in their tissues that make them more buoyant (e.g. Taningia danae, Ancistrocheirus lesueuri); others have a coelom within the mantle cavity filled with fluids that have very high ammonium concentrations (e.g. members of the family Cranchiidae). For more info on ammonium in squid, see:
Clarke, M.R.; Denton, E.J.; Gilpin-Brown, J.B. 1979. On the use of ammonium for buoyancy in squids. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 59: 259–276.
:read:
The Architeuthis specimen that has just gone on display in London is the same specimen as referred to in this old thread. Here's todays update from Merco-Press (South Atlantic News):
http://www.mercopress.com/Detalle.asp?NUM=7327
Very cool -- thanks for the follow-up on this, Phil! Lots of interest in this story over in the UK...
CapnNemo
Mar 01, '06, 11:14am
Yes indeed.
All the major papers carried articles today, including the Daily Mail (Groan!) who report that in the 1930's a Norwegian Tanker was attacked by a Giant Squid! :roll:
dub_doctor
Mar 01, '06, 12:00pm
Guess what - I've (coincidentally) just arrived in London! Can't wait to check out Archie and compare it to the one we saw recently in Melbourne. I'll post photos soon.
Here's another report:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4756514.stm
Dub_doctor,
A quick word of advice. Get to the BMNH as early as you can, find the Darwin Centre and book yourself on a tour. Only a dozen or so people are allowed in every half an hour and it can get busy sometimes. It can be booked solid by 13:00, and that's without the attraction of the Architeuthis. You can spend the intervening time wandering around that magnificent museum.
If you turn up at 2:30 you could be disappointed.
Hope you make it, look forward to your report.
Phil
joefish84
Mar 01, '06, 2:34pm
hey dont bash the giant squids in faulkland... they are our first line of defense against the almighty emperor penguins of antartica armed with laser beams and rocket launchers when they invade the americas through the southern end of south america commanded by morgan freeman
Guess what - I've (coincidentally) just arrived in London! Can't wait to check out Archie and compare it to the one we saw recently in Melbourne. I'll post photos soon.
Here's another report:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4756514.stm
standing by!
dub_doctor
Mar 02, '06, 1:30pm
Dub_doctor,
A quick word of advice. Get to the BMNH as early as you can, find the Darwin Centre and book yourself on a tour. Only a dozen or so people are allowed in every half an hour and it can get busy sometimes. It can be booked solid by 13:00, and that's without the attraction of the Architeuthis. You can spend the intervening time wandering around that magnificent museum. If you turn up at 2:30 you could be disappointed.
Phil
Dang. Wish I'd taken your advice. All the tours were full up by the time I got there. Also, apparently you are not allowed to take in any children, even tiny ones. Something to do with the alcohol fumes and health and safety. This makes it very difficult for me to go at all since I have to look after my little one. She's also VERY disappointed, since she loved the Melbourne squid so much. We just had to make do with the little Architeuthis head in a jar which is on public display.
I'll try to go back on my own in the next week, and this time I'll phone ahead to book.
I'm really sorry to hear you could not make it in. Hopefully later in the week you may be more fortunate.
I'd rather hoped the specimen would be on full public display as opposed to the booking-only behind the scenes tour. Pity, but I doubt if it'll be moved now given the logistics of moving that enormous display case.
Still, there's plenty more in London to go and see. Why not try the London Eye? The view from that is supposed to be spectacular.
dub_doctor
Mar 03, '06, 5:39am
Still, there's plenty more in London to go and see. Why not try the London Eye? The view from that is supposed to be spectacular.
I know. I've been here a few times before. Though I haven't done the London Eye. I do think my daughter will like it too.
As far as the museum went, at least we saw some cephlopods: http://jpaarons.net/annalena/album/displayimage.php?pos=-303
These are three pictures that were released: I fear the formaldehyde has taken a bit of a toll here, when comparing the current status of this particular beasty to the impressive pic in Dub Doctor's earlier post...
Nice pic dub_doctor!
And thanks OB for those pics... it does look like decomposition has begun.
Graeme
Mar 03, '06, 9:26am
Gees, Ob, that's one sorry looking Archie! Just looks like a long blob of random now!
Graeme
Come to think of it: here you have a well frozen hardly damaged Architeuthis specimen, we live in the 21st century with liquid nitrogen, nanotechnology, Australian 1 million rounds per minute weapon systems and what have you, controversial human corpse displays by renegade german artists/scientists and one of the top natural history museums in the world totally makes a mess of things....
A museum 45 minutes flying time from where I live...
Quite a wasted opportunity, really :sad:
Monkeyseatmyface
Mar 03, '06, 11:13am
Hey there,
I have been lucky enough to see the Natural History Museum Squid already and those pictures don't do it any justice (I couldn't take any pictures as you can't take photo's in the Museums Tank Room something to do with flashes fading specimens ...)
'Archie' looks pretty complete and in really good condition ... some of the UK press photos are pretty good if you can find them on the web.
I would reccommend going but heard it's booked up for a while now. Apparently it had to be on the behind the scenes tour rather than the main museum due to the amount of formaldehyde it was in and health and saftey stuff....
Anyway this is my first post - I normally just read - so hello all
You give us hope, Monkey Seat :grin:
And :welcome:
I'm just an old cynic, that's all.... Have only seen the Smithsonian specimen so far.
Cheers,
Olaf
Steve O'Shea
Mar 03, '06, 5:12pm
These are three pictures that were released: I fear the formaldehyde has taken a bit of a toll here, when comparing the current status of this particular beasty to the impressive pic in Dub Doctor's earlier post...
Judging by the chap wearing the full formaldehyde respirator mask, and the general layout of the room, I would say that that picture was taken quite early on, probably not too long after the squid was entered into the tank, and well before the exhibit was opened to the public.
I don't think there is any 'decomposition' going on - what I am seeing there is pretty standard for a preserved specimen. Have they suspended it from the tank floor (anyone that has seen it), or is it resting as depicted in those pics?
I have yet to hear back from Gunther re the plastinated squid (I have heard nothing for a very long time), so I don't know how that is progressing.
In all honesty, a dead squid will always be a dead squid, but it will be the closest you'll ever get to this animal until such a time as we develop 'Squid Zoo' ... where you can go and see live animals, watch the keepers feed them sperm whales, submersibles and divers and watch them chomp them to bits:wink: , and park a double-decker bus outside for scale.
What they have done is mighty impressive .... and looking at that tank and stand, MIGHTY expensive!!!
Donations sought now for establishing 'Squid Zoo'.
What they have done is mighty impressive .... and looking at that tank and stand, MIGHTY expensive!!!
Agreed on both accounts. As I said, just being cynical, indeed probably for reasons of Squid Zoo not yet being a reality :grin: