First images of a living giant squid

[archman]

This isnt the first time giant squid have been caught on camera. A couple of years ago, a ship with a crew from the Discovery Channel captured some giant squid larvae. However, all the larvae died before the ship could get back to shore.

Hey David, do you know where I can look up that information?

 

[DavidPT40]

http://www.usforacle.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/02/16/4030cf82b1581

"In 2001, O'Shea caught around 18 juvenile giant squids, but they died shortly after in captivity. Although it has been difficult to keep juvenile deep-water squids alive in captivity, O'Shea said researchers are trying to refine the technique. "

 

[riddler]

This is completely unsubstantiated, but I have heard that when the sperm whale attacks a larger squid, they don't always win and the squid kills them. Talk about biting off more than you can chew :redbite:

 

[Wildcard]

This is completely unsubstantiated, but I have heard that when the sperm whale attacks a larger squid, they don't always win and the squid kills them. Talk about biting off more than you can chew :redbite:

Freediving at 4000 feet once, I saw the whole thing, it's true! :05: LOL
I know that sperm whales have large bite marks and sucker wounds on them. Now that would be a meal for a squid!

 

[riddler]

Freediving at 4000 feet once, I saw the whole thing, it's true! :05: LOL
I know that sperm whales have large bite marks and sucker wounds on them. Now that would be a meal for a squid!

I don't think the squid eat the whales - just kill them. It's probably not that common, either, considering the whales usually eat the squid as a main food source. From http://unmuseum.mus.pa.us/squid.htm"

Giant Squid have been seen in battle with adult whales too. In 1965, a Soviet whaler watched a battle between a squid and a 40 ton sperm whale. In this case neither were victorious. The strangled whale was found floating in the sea with the squid's tentacles wrapped around the whale's throat. The squid's severed head was found in the whale's stomach.

 

[DavidPT40]

How did the squid strangle the whale? Whales breath out of blowholes. Also, how did the whale bite off the squids head, yet still die?

 

[riddler]

How did the squid strangle the whale? Whales breath out of blowholes. Also, how did the whale bite off the squids head, yet still die?

Yeah, I was wondering about that too - do whales have windpipes? :06: I more believe the part about biting off the squids head, since they are cephalopods. Maybe they got the Russian translation wrong?

 

[DavidPT40]

I bet some of the translation was mixed up.

A large octopus was seen strangling a dolphin after the dolphin tried to eat it. The octopus had managed to cover the dolphin's blowhole, and the dolphin seemed very distressed (kept breaching and clicking).

On a side note, dolphins have to be the most voracious feeders I've ever seen. I was on a 6-hour fishing trip in the Gulf of Mexico last year. When we would catch a fish and release it, a dolphin would immediately swim up and devour it. Whats the point of even releasing the fish?

 

[archman]

We had a bottlenose in Texas that suffocated to death from a shrimp eel getting stuck in her blowhole. I would presume that a squid tentacle could occlude a sperm whale's blowhole in a similar manner.

There are also anecdontal accounts of giant squid injuring sperm whale eyeballs when they're attacked. This lends me to wonder whether or not sperm whales close their eyes when feeding on big squids.

I would sure like to examine a sperm whale head now.

 

[DavidPT40]

I've read that the sperm whales jaw and teeth are just vestigal appendages now. The sperm whale simply swallows the squid whole and alive. In fact, the sperm whale only has teeth on the lower jaw. One whale had a horribley broken jaw, yet still was able to hunt successfully.