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***Hot of the presses! In the local student mag over here***
World famous Squiddy croaks after breaking record
by Jonathan Williams
A new squid will arrive on Squidcam by August after the beloved Squidcam squid "Squiddy" died last week. Squiddy left us last week, and while the cause of death has not yet been determined, it could be any number of reasons, says Dr Steve O'Shea, of the Faculty of Applied Sciences. He lists stress as the major reason, but does not discount other options, pending Squiddy's autopsy. "About 20 moderate-sized sprats were placed into the tank about 30 minutes prior to his death. There could have been a spike in oxygen demand. Alternatively he could have speared himself through the brain with a fish bone, and died of gluttony." Dr O'Shea is in charge of the world-leading experiment to keep giant squid alive in captivity. He already held the world record of 120 days, but Squiddy broke this record by living for a whopping 217 days. More than 650 faithful viewers of Squidcam each day will have to wait until more squid eggs, collected by Dr O'Shea off seaweed in the Hauraki Gulf, hatch. Squiddy provided valuable new insights for the experiment, by proving the primary goal that a developing squid can be kept alive in a reasonably small tank area, says Dr O'Shea. However, he plans to increase the size of the tank for the next experiment. Squidcam is designed to raise the public awareness of the plight of giant squid - many of which are native to New Zealand waters but are chronically endangered.
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