Monday, September 21, 2009

Request Response: GIANT SQUID


Many of your comments requested more information on different topics. This week I will try and accommodate.

The Giant Squid was VERY popular.

If you didn't tour the whole site by clicking on BIG SQUID in the blog, then here is a short cut: Architeuthis dux and the Search Goes On.

Did you know there is evidence of an even BIGGER invertebrate?

Riddle: What has eight arms and two tentacles, lives in the deep ocean and is bigger than a giant squid? Answer: The Colossal Squid.

The Colossal Squid, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, is thought to be the largest of the squid species in weight, even exceeding that of the famous Architeuthis dux. This species was first described in 1925 when two arms of the creatures were recovered from the stomach of a sperm whale. After that very little was learned about the Colossal Squid for many years as only a few incomplete or damaged specimens were found.

In 2003 the colossal squid again got the attention of the popular press when a nearly intact specimen was brought up from deep Antarctic waters at a depth of over 6,000 feet. Just three years later another specimen, a female 26 feet in length and weighing 1095 pounds, was captured accidentally by a fishing boat near New Zealand in Antarctic waters. This particular animal is thought to be the largest invertebrate animal ever found.

Both of these large squids are major sources of food for the sperm whale. Scientists estimate the Colossal Squid may make up 77% of the diet by weight of Antarctic sperm whale.

Watch a video as these "Behemoths Battle in the Benthos."



To do a simple experiment to better understand sound and movement
go to The UNMUSEUM .


More about ... Beasties of the Benthos

The term Deep Sea Creatures refers to organisms that live below the photic zone of the ocean. These creatures must survive in extremely harsh conditions; such as hundreds of atmospheres of pressure, small amounts of oxygen, very little food, no sunlight, and constant, extreme cold. Most creatures have to depend on food floating down from above. Benthos are the organisms which live on, in, or near the seabed, also known as the benthic zone. They live in or
near marine sedimentary environments, from tidal pools along the foreshore, out to the continental shelf, and then down to the abyssal depths.

The Webster's dictionary defines the word monster as "an animal of strange or terrifying shape" and "one unusually large for its kind". By this definition, the creatures that dwell in the deep ocean are true monsters. Miles beneath the surface, where sunlight can no longer penetrate, exists an eerie world of cold darkness. This is the abyss. It is a world of strange and sometimes grotesque forms. Some of the animals here have evolved the ability to create their own light through a phenomenon known as bioluminescence. These lights are used to attract prey and ward off predators. There are organisms here that get their food from chemicals in the water through a process known as chemosynthesis. This is a realm of extremes containing creatures of gigantic proportions. This is where the elusive giant squid hunts. It is also where the great sperm whale comes to feed on the giant squid. Here, within the waters of our own planet, lies an alien planet of wonders that we are just now beginning to explore.
(http://www.seasky.org/deep-sea/deep-sea-intro.html )

DIVE IN HERE (Hold on it's a little bit spooky)

What do you think?

What else could there be that we haven't discovered ? ( we've explored about 4% of the ocean's benthic region.)

How does what we learn about life in the ocean depths help our understanding of the world around us?

What more would you like to learn?




The Comments box is always open ... (Remember just your First Name and class color please)

50 comments:

  1. I am confused is the biggest animal that wale animal in the movie or the squid. They are both very big.
    Ayden Marrullier P.2

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  2. Interesting question, the Giant or Colossal Squids are the biggest INVERTEBRATES (you should to click on that word in the blog or Google it.)

    ps. Please remember proper identification guidelines

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  3. i just read about the fish that lives at the bottom of the ocean. i saw the picture, it was scary!! On monday we had to draw our own imaginary fish that lives at the bottom of the ocean. I enjoy invnting and drawing my own imaginary fish!=)
    I hope you feel better!
    Tamara Boskovic yellow p.3

    p.s.that was a cool article!

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  4. I absouloutly love your blog Mr.V!I wish we could do a science project about deep sea creatures.My friend, Kathline Peters loves your teaching!MEGAN KRONSPERGER,PEROID 3,YELLOW

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  5. This is pretty cool. I did a deep sea project in th grade. It was really interesting. The oxegan levels are pretty low down there. Bioluminesence is really awesome. I wonder what it would be like to glow? Deep sea is also kind of crazy!Have you seen a blob fish before. We could probaly find a megadon shark or a new resource. It could help us go deeper into research. How do the starnge deep sea coral survive.

    Thanks a lot Mr. V

    From, Juliane W Period Y

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  6. Hi mr. v It would be nice if you could be more
    specific with homework and progress log I would really like that thanks


    Matt Ward per.3

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  7. this web site is pretty cool

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  8. this web site is pretty cool.





    Domenic Rivas

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  9. cool website mr.v congrats w/ your wife and you.
    happy annivesery......

    cailley hahn
    yellow
    period.3.

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  10. spencer landers (green class)September 22, 2009 at 11:28 AM

    hi this is spencer landers from your green class and I have a question in the big fish tab it said that bigger fish feed on it and what fish is bigger than that!!???????

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  11. Michaela, period 4, green classSeptember 22, 2009 at 11:30 AM

    I thought this is very good blog! My favorite one yet!!

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  12. hi its cole im in your green class i like all the articals vary intressting

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  13. thats really cool how some animals create their own light but the word confused me a little until i clicked on it.

    savannah sawyers pd.4
    color green

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  14. I wonder what would happen if for some reason one of the benthos creatures saw light. (would they die or be blinded?)

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  15. alec green, i think the creatures of the deep is the best and in class i want to learn more about the vampire squide and oar fish

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  16. Destin green.I think is the creatures of the deep are cool and the reel one are the ones that look cool.What else we hav not discovered was some other fish we havent saw.I like the 6 gilled fish!

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  17. Chris green thinks that the Oarfish is really cool

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  18. David violet.
    I have 2 things to say 1:dive in is amzeing i never knew about all of those deep sea creatures.
    2:will we ever get to disect things, because in the contract it sais dont use scalphel untill insctructed.

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  19. thats cool i never knew about benthos ahnd it's cool how the creatures of the deep use artifical led lighting on their bodies

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  20. the last comment wa from marshall violet

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  21. It's really weird to see which marine creatures are real and which are not. alot of them i thought were fake but i guess that's why were in a marine science class.

    Kaitlyn class-violet

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  22. It is very interesting to learn about the giant squid. I think alot of other things could be out there. Maybe there's another world in the benthic part of the ocean. Maybe there are dinosaurs that still exist down there. Of coarse, they would have to be Marine Dinosuars. We've only explored 4 percent of the benthic ocean!!! There are endless possibilaties.

    By, Maleah Violet

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  23. I can see why sailors [i'm guessing]came up with that Kracken legend some squid are gigantic!!!

    Kaitlyn class-violet

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  24. Hi mr.v I would like to laern more about the creatures of yhe deep and we should explore more about the creatures that we have not discoverd yet and mabe we will get more specimens about the colasil squid and how it targets such big creatures and i have heard that somtimes the squid will end up eating thr sperm whale and when the sperm whales when they wssh up on shore when sumtimes they will disect the sperm whale and find the jaws of the squids that the sperm whales have eaten them. breilyn violet

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  25. Thank you so much for providing more info on the blog about the giant and collosail squid. Ive learned alot now like the location in which they found the two collosail squids. I can't beleive they found they in the arctic ocean. I also figured out there we're more creatures in the abbys than I thought. I especailly like the deep sea dragonfish it looks really cool with its bioluminesent light shineing in a line on its belly thanks for the information
    Kailee
    class-violet

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  26. the fish i saw were fasinating i love fish like that. the oar fish was really cool I like how it had red and white in the picture. The viper fish is very very fasinating i like how it has the artifical lite o n it's head


    marshall vbiolet

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  27. That squid got munched, it is so amazing that the squid lives, but also thrives that deep

    Michael S., Blue

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  28. i just read the article "Beasties of the Benthos".i learned about the deep sea creatures and their strange characteristics. For example,I never knew that the benthos fish can create light through a phenomenon called bioluminescence!
    Tamara Boskovic p.3 yellow
    p.s.i liked the sperm whale vs. giant squid video,and i hope you feel better!

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  29. lindsey i think they would go blind BUT they could die if it was to hot

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  30. Were are the games everyone is talking about????????? ada houk green

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  31. I liked the vedio. Have you seen the Grait squid show on TV, its alsome. My dad swam with Whale sharks before, they were huge. My dad said Whale sharks use the same kind of sound wave to find food. Cool! Sept. 22,09 Ryan violet

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  32. I would like to learn more about the abbys in the ocean and all about the monsters that live there. I never knew the collosail squid was bigger than the giant squid.

    bruce red p1

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  33. I think animals that live in the deep sea are very interesting to learn about because they are very unique and you dont hear stories about them very often

    Rachel, Orange

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  34. Hi Mr.V,
    I really thought this article was cool because the benthos fish can glow! I never knew that! I wonder if any other fish in the ocean can glow? I think you should post a blog about sharks! Such as the great white. I wish we learned about them and did a project in class about them. They are my favorite animal and i wish that i had the opportunity to learn more about them. I lvoe the blogs! Keep up the good work.

    Savannah R. Orange

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  35. I think that is really cool. I have always enjoyed learing about sea life and deep sea stuff. I really enjoyed the marine science last year too. I go fishing all the time my uncle has a boat and it is so fun.


    stevie,orange

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  36. Thats a big squid!!!

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  37. Way to go gang.. GREAAAAATTTT comments

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  38. I JUST saw that You Tube clip
    Wow that's amazing how whales find they're food(also kinda weird)They send those little sound wave things and whatever it hits it comes back to them but it's like a tracking device...that's so cool

    Michelle M. Period 3 Yellow

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  39. That photo of the benthos fish looks very creepy but the video was good..... It is soo cool how fish and whales have the sense to find food like that...Dolphins do that too!

    Michelle M. P.3 Yellow

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  40. It's really cool learning about how marine life live and eat in the ocean. I also never some fish can glow. I also think it would be a little scary if your diving and you see a 26 foot squid or something even bigger then that right next to you.

    Jordan p.2 orange

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  41. the website is awesome and i think u have a lot of knowledge about marine.

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  42. i think that this is a awesome website and that u have a lot of knowledge on the sea

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  43. Preston Red
    This is a great site

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  44. Preston
    Red

    This website has very fasinating things and descriptions in it like all the oil spilss and how much damage it causes and facts about where the oil will go and what not. this site is very helpful if only I started comming to it more it would help

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  45. I really like how the deep sea angler fish is able to use biolumunescence to attratch prey. I wonder why other fishes are so attrated to the light anyway??? I wwould say the angler fish looks like the meanest best hunting fish!!!

    Tyler Malinowski
    Marine
    Orange

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  46. It is amazing how so many species are just naturally attracted to light... think about during turtle hatching season and how we need to turn off beach lighting so that the hatchlings don't head the wrong direction.

    thanks

    put a point(1) in the bonus box

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  47. the video is great mr. v although it gets cut of at the good part but the way the whale used sonar was incredible the way he/she could see that way i just wonder how the squid sees


    tavish bryan
    marine science
    red class

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  48. ooohh!!

    Good question,,, how does a squid see? They have very big eyes...hmmm I wonder?

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  49. thank you for dive in deep benthic creatures it helped me creature my crazy ornage fish.What i thought was cool was the vampire squid because i just watched about it on tv saying its called that because it raps it self around with its skin underneath to make it diseaper in the blackness like a vapire and if its limps get cut off it can grow back making it almost impoisible to kill like a vampire -jake red

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  50. You are welcome.

    Yeah the "lip" thing is kind of spooky.


    Put a point(1) in the bonus box.

    ReplyDelete