Giant Squid Caught Near Japan

Frankenbuffer writes "Researchers on a quest to find a live giant squid succeeded in filming one south of Tokyo. They used a smaller bait squid to lure the giant squid to the water's surface. The giant squid, a young female about 7 metres long, put up quite a fight as it was brought aboard the research vessel. It died in the process. The researchers believe that giant squid may be more plentiful that believed previously. From the article: '"Sperm whales need from 500 to 1,000 kilograms of food every day," he said. "There are believed to be 200,000 or so of them, and that would suggest there are quite a few squid for them to be feeding on. I don't think they are in danger of extinction at all." Having filmed the squid, Mr. Kubodera said his next goal is to further study the creatures' habits in their natural surroundings -- at a depth of around 650 metres.'"

Re:End result?

[aapold]

That was pretty much my response too... they killed it. Can those things even take being under the far less pressure near the surface water? Once they had it hooked, you think they could have sent a diver down at some intermediary depth to film it...

I guess this is new territory and they're learning things (like, if you pull a giant squid to the surface, it dies), so I guess I can give them a pass this time. But yeah, there has to be a better way.

Those eyes are just unnerving, think I read somewhere that they have the largest eyes of any known creature... no idea on how large their brains are, but you'd have to think it is uncharted territory in terms of invertebrates. I'm not with PETA or anything, but I have to wonder what it was thinking as it was hauled up to its death, fighting the entire way...

Re:extinction

[Toby The Economist]

Not accidental.

Their blood is swimming with what is basically anti-freeze.

At the sort of temperatures found in their native depths, their blood works fine.

Pull them up to anywhere near the surface and their blood cannot transport oxygen - they suffocate.

Personally, I'm horrified. These people have spent a *bundle* of our money (tax revenue) and killed a living creature - and for what?

Video says 3.5 meters

[Jtheletter]

Thanks for the video link. Anyone else notice the reporter in the video said the captured squid was only 3.5 meters, not ~7 as the other articles claim? Maybe they were only referring to the body and not body + tentacles? From what you can see in the video it looks a lot closer to only being 11 ft long rather than 22ft. Quick meter-to-foot estimate, go easy on me. ;)

Re:End result?

[cavefrog]

I'm talking about anti-shark cages (probably reinforced) here, not some fruity chainmail suit.

Reminds me of those tests where a marine biologist puts a live crab in a jar then lets an octopus have a go at it. It takes only seconds for the octopus to open it and retrieve it's lunch.

I know a steel cage is an entirely different story, but I'm having fun imagining what a giant squid might be able to do to one of these, and better yet what the diver might be thinking when it tries...