Live Giant Squid Dissection Tomorrow

BoogieChile writes "The dissection of a 245 kilo giant squid caught off the coast of Portland, Victoria in May will take place tomorrow at the Museum of Victoria. In a first for the museum, the event is open to the public and will also be streamed live to the internet from the University's website, starting at 0130GMT on the 17th of July."

Seems inhumane

[Teese]

You'd think they'd euthanize the squid first.

Re:Seems inhumane

[SpaceLifeForm]

No, they can't, because they want it to be streaming.

Dissecting a live web caching server is risky

[Anonymous Coward]

On the other hand, when your squid [squid-cache.org] stops caching, sometimes dissection is the best way to troubleshoot the problem.

Re:

[evil agent]

I prefer organic calamari, thank you.

Re:

[Nutria]

I prefer organic calamari

As opposed to inorganic calamari?

Re:Seems inhumane

[Paranatural]

The dissection of a living creature is called a vivisection, actually. If you are dissecting something, it's generally accepted that it's already dead.

The More You Know!

(Yes, I am aware the GP was a joke)

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

The More You Know!

Always speak in complete sentences. Fragments? Never.

Re:

[SEWilco]

Nah, as the /. headline would be accurate, we know then it would have referred to live vivisection instead of live dissection.

First look

[Zosden]

Did anyone else think they meant they were going to dissect a live squid.

Re:

[Sporkinum]

Yes.. I figure they would have gotten some interrogators from Abu Gahraib since the squid's mantle vaguely looks like a turban.

Re:

[Greyfox]

They want to dissect it. If they wanted to hook up jumper cables and shock its testicles, THEN they'd get some interrogators from Abu Gahraib.

Re:

[lalas]

That'd be a vivisection.

Re:

[mweather]

Not for long.

Re:

[Mr. Droopy Drawers]

yeah, I did... The article didn't describe it that way...

Re:First look Maybe it's a combined operation?

[davidsyes]

DiViSection?

VivDisection?

It starts one way, and ends another?

Re:First look

[8282now]

Did anyone else think they meant they were going to dissect a live squid.

I was picturing some of the Old Ones (Lovecraftian) having something to gurgle about that! ;)

Re:

[dpilot]

Forget Lovecraft, has anyone told Bruce Schneier, yet?

As a matter of fact, before posting this I checked his web site, and he already knows. I guess you can't beat Bruce Schneier to a squid. Add that to his list of Chuck-Norris-isms.

Re:

[hobbit]

I think it would have been better phrased "Live Dissection of Giant Squid Tomorrow". Just in case the reader is unaware of the vivisection/dissection distinction ;)

Re:

[TriggerFin]

What, and add a word? No way! Besides, "live dissection" could still be vivisection.

"Giant Squid Dissection Live Tomorrow"

Re:

[hobbit]

Indeed; that's much better!

afterwards

[electricbern]

... the museum will be hosting, in celebration of the event, a squid buffet for invitees.

Re:

[bsDaemon]

When I was in AP Bio about 8 years ago, our lab manual for the squid dissection contained instructions for making calamari from the squid afterwords. of course, our squids had been soaked in formaldehyde or whatever it is that they use nowadays for quite some time.

Re:

[Botched]

My mom's bio class, she makes sure to provide the squid herself to get around this. Cant have a good squid dissection without lemon wedges and hot oil waiting!

Re:

[mcpkaaos]

Does your mom happen to teach 8th grade Biology in Vancouver, WA? My bio teacher did the same thing. She even breaded them on the spot!

To this day I won't touch calamari, heh.

Re:afterwards

[Jherek Carnelian]

Regular-sized squid are actually the most plentiful source of protein on the planet, far out-stripping cattle, chicken and tuna. If we would just eat them instead...

Re:

[camperdave]

Regular-sized squid are actually the most plentiful source of protein on the planet

Even more plentiful than plankton? krill? rice?

Re:

[Jherek Carnelian]

Ok meat. Although I doubt rice qualifies either way since it is 10:1 carbs:protein.

Re:afterwards

[jollyreaper]

Regular-sized squid are actually the most plentiful source of protein on the planet, far out-stripping cattle, chicken and tuna. If we would just eat them instead...

You forgot bugs. They're the hands-down winner, not just in terms of bio-mass but in human diet, too. Man eating bugs!

Re:afterwards

[nacturation]

You forgot bugs. They're the hands-down winner, not just in terms of bio-mass but in human diet, too. Man eating bugs!

What about man eating man-eating bugs? It's like a klein buffet!
 

You forgot algae and plankton

[EmbeddedJanitor]

Dried spirulina is approx 55% protein. Dried beef is approx 70%.

Re:afterwards

[spun]

Ugh. I hope not. Giant squid supposedly tastes repulsive. From the wiki article: [wikipedia.org]

Giant squid and some other large squid species maintain neutral buoyancy in seawater through an ammonium chloride solution which flows throughout their body and is lighter than seawater. This differs from the method of flotation used by fish, which involves a gas-filled swim bladder. The solution tastes somewhat like salmiakki and makes giant squid unattractive for general human consumption.

Re:

[joshtheitguy]

Well the fine folks of Scandinavia, Northern Germany and the Netherlands might appreciate the taste but to me that would be the most repulsive meal that could ever be served... ever.

Re:

[Per Wigren]

How can one NOT love the taste of salmiac liquorice? It's the best candy ever!

I don't think I'd appreciate salmiac-tasting squid though, or any kind of squid.

Re:

[Apotekaren]

In Finland they had(have?) for sale Salmiak-marinated steaks for the BBQ-season. And while it was delicious(you'd have to like salmiak first), you couldn't eat more then two. It was just so salty to the taste. I'm not going to judge salmiak-tasting squid just yet, though. (I usually eat 3-4 steaks of that size when we have a barbeque-party)

you must not live near norwegians

[CaptainNerdCave]

one word: lutefisk

Re:

[IrquiM]

Considering the fact that it's full of lye (or used to be), it actually tastes rather ok, if you eat it with sidedishes like bacon, potatoes, peas etc. And don't forget the akevitt!

Mmmmmm... akevitt!

Ok, it's the akevitt that makes it ok! Happy now?

Re:

[dkf]

one word: lutefisk

Nah. Surstromming [wikipedia.org]. Anything that smells that bad and where the tins are inclined to explode (the wikipedia article claims that that's a myth, but that's just not true) is just a hazard waiting to happen...

Re:

[pragma_x]

Its funny you mention that.

In Iceland*, they have a means of preparing shark that pretty much involves letting it rot for a while first. The interesting part is that said species of shark is inedible as fresh due to the ammonia content.

So in theory, one might be able to prepare Giant Squid H%C3%A1karl [wikipedia.org]. Yummy.

(*Okay, not quite the Netherlands, but pretty damn close if you ask me)

Re:

[exi1ed0ne]

I ordered some salmiakki once due to my love of licorice. I had been warned it's an acquired taste, but I thought what the heck.

For the rest of the day my mouth tasted like a cat's piss. Vile stuff.

Re:

[Daimanta]

I love salmiak. You have a sort of candy which is hard on the outside but has salmiakpowder inside. If you chew through the hard part all the salmiak powder lands on your tongue and you cringe a bit. But then you get the lovely taste of salmiak in your mouth. I think that's what I'm going to buy on Saturday.

Re:

[rachit]

For the rest of the day my mouth tasted like a cat's piss. Vile stuff.

And, er, how would you know what cat's piss tastes like?

Re:

[exi1ed0ne]

"You can't just open the book of my life and jump in the middle." -Mal (Firefly)

;)

Re:

[pragma_x]

For the rest of the day my mouth tasted like a cat's piss. Vile stuff.

Yea, but I've heard that its one helluva drug.

Re:

[khallow]

Wikipedians as a whole probably do not like it.

Re:afterwards

[commodoresloat]

you're just not using enough wasabi.

Can't wait....

[NuclearError]

I am suddenly thinking of the Far Side cartoon with the heart surgeons standing around a patient under the knife, and one says "OK, we'll vote on it. Who here says that the heart has four ventricles?"

More appropriate would be the farside cartoon

[SargentDU]

where the scientist and layman are in a tree and it looks like a giant squid is reaching up from the ground with its arms and the layman says "Can't climb a tree? You are the one who said it couldn't leave the water!"

non-live version?

[Taibhsear]

Anyone know if there will be a recap of this for viewing afterward? I will be in class at the time and I doubt I can persuade the professor to show it during lecture...

Obligitory Dr. Quinn (Sealab 2021) quote

[TheDarkener]

"That giant squid ain't messin' round!"

Everyone Please come by between 7-10pm.

[ForestGrump]

Everyone, PLEASE remember to come by the museum for a squid buffet and all the dipping sauces!

Please remember it is 7-10PM. If you come after 10pm, we will have to-go boxes of squid by the front entrance.

PLEASE come everyone!

Thank you,
Museum of Victoria Management

Re:

[Nutria]

I wonder what scientist will disect? Biologist or zoologist

Not very many Giant Squid have taken enough schooling to become biologists or zoologists.

Re:

[bmo]

"Not very many Giant Squid have taken enough schooling to become biologists or zoologists."

What would be really impressive is a giant squid that passed ABCRS and became proctologist.

--
BMO

Re:

[pragma_x]

You'd need someone with an eye for science, but an intimate understanding of edible sea-creatures, and larger-than-life representations of the same.

Alton Brown [wikipedia.org] is clearly the best choice here.

Giant?

[rossdee]

245 Kg doesn't sound like much of a 'giant' to me. Is it a juvenile?

Re:

[spicate]

Have you seen a normal squid? Half a ton of squid sounds pretty giant to me!

From Wikipedia [wikipedia.org] , the source of all truth and wisdom: "Maximum weight is estimated at 275 kg (606 lb) for females and 150 kg (331 lb) for males."

Re:

[spicate]

Have you seen a normal squid? Half a ton of squid sounds pretty giant to me!

From Wikipedia [wikipedia.org] , the source of all truth and wisdom: "Maximum weight is estimated at 275 kg (606 lb) for females and 150 kg (331 lb) for males."

Err, not half a ton exactly, but still a lot...

Re:

[treeves]

It may well, but 245 kg does not sound like half a ton. It's a little over a quarter of a ton (2000 lbs), and a little under a quarter of a tonne (1000 kg).

Re:

[zippthorne]

it's, "quarterre of a tonne."

Re:

[belmolis]

There's an even larger species called the Colossal Squid. The largest known specimen [wikipedia.org] weighed 495kg.

Re:

[Smivs]

Te Papa museum in New Zealand recently did a live webcast of a Collosal Squid dissection. Details and pics can be found at
their blog [tepapa.govt.nz]

Re:

[lowe0]

If I ever encounter a squid that's double my weight and then some, I'm going to let it call itself whatever the hell it wants.

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

245 Kg doesn't sound like much of a 'giant' to me. Is it a juvenile?

You're an American, aren't you? ;)

Re:

[Macgrrl]

According to today's news reports of the disection, the squid was described as an immature female. They are believed to grow much larger but this is the largest whole squid retrieved to date.

The article also commented that they were canibals - and that the males had a penis like a nail gun - mated at speed and then fled to avoid being eaten by the females.

From this I would suggest that should you decide to hook up with an old one - windex is obviously thier drink of choice.

Dissection? Is that what they call it.

[zymano]

Chinese call it STIR FRY.

Better get splunk

[kwabbles]

If one of their squid logfiles is 245k... imagine going through a month's worth of that to find out when Johnson in Accounting visited xxxanimalfarm.com.

Monty Squidthon

[Darth Hubris]

Mrs Premise: I dissected the squid yesterday; took 6 hours.
Mrs. Conclusion: 6 hours!?
Mrs. Premise: Wouldn't hold still...

These things are very rare to catch

[DragonTHC]

I don't think scientists have ever seen one in the wild.

That should say a thing or two about their rarity.

What else lurks in the deep that we don't know about?

Re:

[kalirion]

A true scientist would consider the obvious explanation that live giant squids don't exist.

Re:

[cforceleritas]

I'm pretty sure that was a joke, but evidence exists in the form of giant tentacles and decomposed enormous squid carcasses washing up on shore.

Re:

[AdamThor]

What else lurks in the deep that we don't know about?

THE SHADOW KNOWS!

Re:

[giostickninja]

Wikipedia knows better. A group of Japanese scientists took some pictures of one by following sperm whales to thier hunting grounds. Later the same group got a giant squid on video http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUST14899720061222/ [reuters.com]

For some reason...

[anarkavre]

this [museumvictoria.com.au] picture resembles a vagina with tentacles. I also thought the Sarlacc in Star Wars resembled a vagina with teeth. The Special Edition made this even worse with the beak and tentacles. Also this [pbfcomics.com] doesn't help my strange imagination.

Re:

[LunaticTippy]

With your imagination it is fortunate you aren't aware of Vagina Dentata [wikipedia.org]