Giant squid found in the Pacific see the photos of the monster!

2005-09-28

After three years actively searching for squids - huge octopuses, the Japanese research team finally manage to capture one on film. The squid was 8.5 meters long and had 10 arms. This was the first time the species Architeuthis of squids became filmed by a robot camera. The research team, who was leaded by Tsunemi Kubodera from the Japanese National Research Institute in Tokyo, filmed the squid when it attacked a prey on 1000 metres deep outside the coast for the Japanese Bonin Islands in the Pacific.

This is reported by the New York Times the news agency AP & Dagbladet, Norway.

The monsters of the deep
This bizarre creature became real famous in one of Jules Verne's books. Finally will it reveals its secrets? So far this is the species commonly known as the giant squid. It's because scientists have not known exactly where in the sea it lives, and have not been able to study it alive. It has been said that the giant squid may be in danger for extinction, and so researchers are doing what they can to capture it on film before it's too late.

According to the website The Animal Information Centre (Animal Information - Angelfire): Architeuthis dux is a large, carnivorous squid with a torpedo-shaped body. They are most definitely the largest invertebrates in the world, with the males reaching up to 25 ft (7.5 m) in length. The females are larger, the longest recorded specimen being 59 ft (17.7 m) in length. It is possible that they can become longer as they are only known by about 200 corpses that have been stranded on beaches, caught in nets, or found in the bellies of sperm whales.

Click on the link for study the fantastic photos: Dagbladet - Squids - Photos.

Read the news report on New York Times: NY Times Squid News.

There is more that can be added to these photos and more information about the amazing discovery will be published soon.

Stein Morten Lund, 28 September 2005

Additional information:

Bonin Islands:
Referred from Encyclopedia: Jap. Ogasawara-gunto, volcanic island group, c.40 sq mi (100 sq km), in the W Pacific Ocean, c.500 mi (800 km) S of Tokyo; part of Tokyo prefecture, Japan. The largest and principal island is Chichi (formerly Peel Island), c.10 sq mi (30 sq km), the site of Omura, the capital of the group, and Futami-ko (Port Lloyd), the chief harbor. The principal products are timber and fruit, such as bananas and pineapples. The majority of the inhabitants are Japanese; there are some Koreans and Taiwanese. The islands were claimed by Japan from the British in 1875 and placed under the Tokyo prefecture in 1880.
For more information: www.encyclopedia.com/html/B/BoninI1sl.asp

Website about Squids:
The Octopus News Magazine Online: www.tonmo.com.
http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/OCEAN_PLANET/HTML/squid_Architeuthis.html
http://www.angelfire.com/mo2/animals1/squid/giantsquid.html

Giant squid found in the Pacific  see the photos of the monster!

Giant squid found in the Pacific see the photos of the monster!