Giant Sea Creature Baffles Chilean Scientists

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the identification of a large dead creature found on a Chilean beach, initially thought to be a whale. Participants explore various hypotheses regarding its nature, including potential classifications as an invertebrate, plant, or different types of squid.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest the creature could be a plant, a sponge (perifera), or a jellyfish (Cnidaria), based on limited information.
  • One participant expresses a desire to lead an expedition to capture a living giant squid, indicating a personal interest in marine biology.
  • Another participant references historical accounts from WWII of giant squids allegedly pulling men from boats, questioning the validity of these stories.
  • A hypothesis is presented that giant squids might be attracted to sinking ships and could interact with men in the water, although this is deemed mythological and extremely rare due to their deep habitat.
  • A participant mentions the possibility of the creature being a gathering of a certain type of plankton, adding another perspective to the discussion.
  • There is a mention of the Colossal Squid as an alternative to the Giant Squid, suggesting a distinction between the two types of squids.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the identity of the creature, with multiple competing views and hypotheses presented throughout the discussion.

Contextual Notes

Some claims rely on anecdotal evidence, and there are unresolved assumptions regarding the nature of the creature and the historical accounts of giant squids.

Ivan Seeking
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"The dead creature was mistaken for a beached whale when first reported about a week ago, but experts who went to see it said the 40-foot-long mass of decomposing lumpy gray flesh apparently was an invertebrate"

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=570&ncid=753&e=1&u=/nm/20030701/sc_nm/chile_science_dc
 
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Originally posted by Ivan Seeking
"The dead creature was mistaken for a beached whale when first reported about a week ago, but experts who went to see it said the 40-foot-long mass of decomposing lumpy gray flesh apparently was an invertebrate"

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=570&ncid=753&e=1&u=/nm/20030701/sc_nm/chile_science_dc

Based on the little information, it very-well might be a plant; many plants grow to be the size of an entire forest. Or, more likely a perifera (sponge). Or As the article said a Cnidaria (Jelly-Fish).

It's damn to bad it's not a giant squid - You know I am a trained biologist, but I would only want to work with certain types of animals, and not in an ecological way...

...but dammed if I don't want to head an expedition (one of many) to catch a living giant squid, also known as the architeuthis!
 
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Originally posted by Shark
...but dammed if I don't want to head an expedition (one of many) to catch a living giant squid, also known as the architeuthis!

Just make sure he doesn't catch you!

What do you make of stories, mainly from WWII, of giant squid pulling men out of boats? The accounts that I have heard were allegedly from survivors of warships sunk far from land.
 


Originally posted by Ivan Seeking
Just make sure he doesn't catch you!

What do you make of stories, mainly from WWII, of giant squid pulling men out of boats? The accounts that I have heard were allegedly from survivors of warships sunk far from land.


Well. Squid are attracted to light. And ships to sink, and sink slowly. My guess would be that when the ships were slowly sinking, and the men were fully in the water, the giant squid may have found some interest in the men, being probably the smallest and least threatening objects in this whole event.

So they probably grabbed them to investigate. Beyond that it's totally myth.

And certainly extremely rare; giant squids live at a depth of 1,600 feet and more.
 
The MSN report said that it could be a gathering a certain type of plankton.