[Featured]: Architeuthis (Giant Squid) Sightings

[CaptFish]

He has his personal page on FB but nothing public.

 

[OB]

Squidzilla, Bonin Islands, that's a thought...

 

[DWhatley]

Somehow the advernture makes me think more of a different story but King Squid just does not have the same ring.

 

[GPO87]

Here's a page from a New Zealand newspaper

Giant squid washes up on coast

 

[tonmo]

Looks like the eye is intact. Thanks for the link GPO87! Facebooked it.

 

[tonmo]

The latest video of a living (then sadly, deceased) giant squid (Architeuthis) from Japan - caught in a net!

https://www.facebook.com/tonmodotcom/posts/10152218691933413

http://www.asahi.com/articles/ASG193JD2G19UOHB003.html

 

[tonmo]

@Clem @OB

 

[OB]

Sorry for responding via FB first Quite a specimen! Amazes me every time, to see just how fragile they are; the mere handling of the specimen caused its skin to abrase straight off and its eye to apparently pop out and deflate. They are so adept to just hovering in the water column, with neither gravity, nor contact with any type of surface being a factor of concern, ever. Up close and personal the skin is so thin, it's scary. Mesonychoteuthis, for instance, has a much more robust skin type; the contrast is striking.

 

[gjbarord]

That is awesome!

Greg

 

[DWhatley]

I wonder if the skin is that delicate in living animals. Octos skin (top layer only) is like that a bit after death and when you find one that has died in an aquarium, you will note a thin layer has started to slough off. This may have something to do with the clean-up crew but I don't think so. I don't see it on the frozen food octos so I think saltwater may have an affect.

 

[tonmo]

...although I feel skeptical that the specimen on the tarp is the same one seen in the water...

Not treated particularly well.

In any case, the one in the water is definitely a big squid, I suppose Architeuthis? The story is making the rounds....

http://www.businessinsider.com.au/v...and-its-starting-to-cause-some-concern-2015-1

 

[cuttlegirl]

It was so beautiful in the water. Maybe the dead one is days afterwards? It is definitely decomposing, can't imagine it smells very good.

 

[tonmo]

Right, definitely dead / decomposing vs. living... but I also thought the one in the water seemed smaller than the one on the tarp... my perception may be off though!

 

[DWhatley]

I had the same impression on the size but there are no clear references The Greek squid video did a nice job making the need for spacial references important.

Rewatching and trying to compare the size of the animal being "poked with a stick" to the poking human, the condition of the squid in the warehouse and the YouTube info that says,

Published on Jan 23, 2015
This is a rare video of giant squid caught by Japanese fishermen on 23th January of 2015.
Fishermen caught squid in net, then they've released it in closed pool with fishes.
It's been nearly 6 meters long (19,7 ft).

I think @tonmo is right, these are two different animals.

 

[GPO87]

I don't know... it might have been the same squid, but the sizes do look at bit different. And I think Architeuthis is a good guess Tony. Definitely has many giant squid characteristics!
What I found more interesting is the sudden increase in GS bodies. This is the 4th one in 2015 alone??? I feel like something is going wrong in the food web, if GS are feeling the needs to hunt above 300 meters.