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Photograph of a Giant Squid |
Japanese scientists have captured the first images of one of the most mysterious creatures of the deep ocean – the giant squid.
So far, the only information available about the behavior of these creatures – which can reach lengths of up to 18 meters – has been derived from squids that were either dead and washed ashore or caught in fishing nets.
However, Tsunemi Kubodera from the National Museum of Nature and Science and Kyoichi Mori from the Ogasawara Whale Watching Association (both located in Tokyo) have successfully captured the first images of the Architeuthis squid while it was hunting at a depth of 900 meters in the cold, dark waters of the North Pacific Ocean.
“We have seen the first wild images of a giant squid in its natural environment,” they announced.
Very little is known about this species due to the difficulty of locating and studying them in a live state. Furthermore, only large, modern-equipped vessels can explore such deep waters. The Japanese scientists discovered this squid while tracking sperm whales – expert squid hunters – as they gathered to feed in the deep waters off the Ogasawara Islands in the North Pacific.
“The most unusual feature of the giant squid is its extremely long tentacles, which distinguish it from the 8 shorter arms it possesses. These long tentacles account for two-thirds of the length of the dead specimens found to date,” the scientific team stated. They also added that the giant squid appears to be a far more active predator than previously thought.
In 2001, another research team also captured images of squids in the deep sea across four different oceans, but they were believed not to belong to the giant squid species Architeuthis. Scientists concluded that they belonged to a different group of squids known as magnapinnids.
T. An (according to Reuters)
