Giant Squid finally caught on film

[Greg Bernhardt]

How terrifying! I've always been a bit nervous of the blackness of the see and now there are confirmed monsters in it!

The mysterious and mythical giant squid has never been spotted alive in the deep sea -- until now. A team from Japan's National Science Museum has captured footage of a giant squid in its natural habitat: nearly a third of a mile below the surface of the ocean. It is the first such video of its kind.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-57562424/giant-squid-filmed-alive-in-deep-sea-for-first-time/

 

[turbo]

Wow! It would be so cool if someone could capture images of a giant squid being attacked by a sperm whale. Probably too much to hope for, though.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Wow! It would be so cool if someone could capture images of a giant squid being attacked by a sperm whale. Probably too much to hope for, though.

Put a camera on one! :)

 

[turbo]

I read that when a sperm whale catches a giant squid and is being given a hard time, the whale will hold onto the squid and surface rapidly, causing the squid to explode. If that is true, it's a pretty good trick.

 

[Borek]

I am more than sure I have seen a video of a giant squid some time ago, shot by some Japanese scientists. Perhaps not as good quality, but it was there. Youtube search for a giant squid lists several different videos (all are called "first") - but none of them is the one I remember.

And I remember watching a film on NatGeo or Discovery about sperm whales diving with a camera attached.

 

[Borek]

I read that when a sperm whale catches a giant squid and is being given a hard time, the whale will hold onto the squid and surface rapidly, causing the squid to explode. If that is true, it's a pretty good trick.

I don't see a reason for a squid to explode.

 

[turbo]

I read that I was due to rapid decompression. Sperm whales can handle the pressure differential, and squids can't. It might be wrong - what do I know?

 

[enosis_]

It's hard to imagine the width - personal space - of a 60' long squid.

 

[enosis_]

I don't see a reason for a squid to explode.

They explode all of the time in my microwave.
(I like to cut calamari into 1/2" pieces and cook in microwave oven - a little chewy but taste good.)

 

[Borek]

There is nothing to decompress - they don't contain anything that would rapidly change the volume with the pressure.

I am not saying that pressure doesn't matter, after all they evolved to live where they live, but I can't think of anything that would have a fast and spectacular effect.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Most deep sea creatures appear to become mush once brought to the surface.

 

[turbo]

Yes. Explode was a poor word-choice, but bring a squid up from a couple of thousand meters down, and its cells will rupture, killing it. Squids are not defenseless, as evidenced by sucker-wounds on whale-skin, but decompression will take them out of business in short order. I also read that sperm whales are subject to "the bends" and their bones show evidence of that in the pitting and erosion.

 

[Evo]

I am more than sure I have seen a video of a giant squid some time ago, shot by some Japanese scientists. Perhaps not as good quality, but it was there. Youtube search for a giant squid lists several different videos (all are called "first") - but none of them is the one I remember.

And I remember watching a film on NatGeo or Discovery about sperm whales diving with a camera attached.

Your memory serves you correctly Borek.

On 30 September 2004, researchers from the National Science Museum of Japan and the Ogasawara Whale Watching Association took the first images of a live giant squid in its natural habitat.[2] Several of the 556 photographs were released a year later. The same team successfully filmed a live adult giant squid for the first time on 4 December 2006

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_squid

 

[Evo]

Yes. Explode was a poor word-choice, but bring a squid up from a couple of thousand meters down, and its cells will rupture, killing it. Squids are not defenseless, as evidenced by sucker-wounds on whale-skin, but decompression will take them out of business in short order. I also read that sperm whales are subject to "the bends" and their bones show evidence of that in the pitting and erosion.

According to what I found, deep sea fish have swim bladders, giant squid do not. Perhaps this helps explain.

Do Deep-Sea Fish Explode When They Are Brought to the Surface?

No. Deep-sea fish do not explode when brought to the surface.

But some fish have an internal air sac that may expand when they rise. Because of the expansion of their air sac, there is a risk that their insides will be pushed out through their mouth, thereby killing them.

http://nature.ca/explore/di-ef/dsfe_e.cfm

Depth/Pressure

Giant squids do not have any gas spaces in their bodies, which means they do not have soft bladders filled with gas to keep them from sinking as fish have. In fact, no squids do, and neither do really deep sea fishes. Air is so compressible in high pressure habitats that the bladder would be squeezed until it imploded and would be useless. How then is the giant squid able to survive in very deep waters without sinking or being crushed? The answer is ammonium ions. (Ammonia in water splits into ammonium (NH4±) and hydroxyl (OH-) ions.) Unlike air, liquids cannot be crushed or compacted or compacted. Ammonium also solves the sinking problem, since, like oil, it is lighter than seawater. A giant squid concentrates ammonium in its body and is either slightly buoyant (floats) or neutrally buoyant (does not float but does not sink). Ammonia is a natural waste product, like urine. Instead of eliminating or urinating waste out as humans do, giant squids store some of the waste in their bodies. This is why so many giant squids float to the surface and wash ashore when they die. That is also why giant squids are not very tasty to eat!

http://giantsquid.msstate.edu/Background/squidtxt.html

 

[Pythagorean]

Sperm whales can get "the bends" (rapid expansion of nitrogen gas in their system). It looks like squid could actually cause sperm whales to get the bends:

Sperm whale dives typically last about an hour, but can be up to two hours, and they go to depths of 1,000 to 2,000 meters in search of their preferred prey: squid. The scientists theorize that the whales normally manage their surfacing behavior to decompression problems. But if a noxious sound—from a sonar, for instance, or seismic airguns used in oil exploration—disrupts their usual behavior and provokes fast surfacing, the whales risk acute problems from nitrogen emboli.

http://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/viewArticle.do?id=4720

(not peer reviewed)

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

I am more than sure I have seen a video of a giant squid some time ago, shot by some Japanese scientists. Perhaps not as good quality, but it was there. Youtube search for a giant squid lists several different videos (all are called "first") - but none of them is the one I remember.

This video explains a bit why this event is special.

http://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_c3#/video/world/2013/01/08/exp-early-ellis-giant-squid.cnn