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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2: Giant Squid

For centuries, adventurers who set out to conquer the ocean have spread myths of giant sea monsters. On Tuesday, Japanese scientists announced filming one such creature--a giant squid--found 800 meters (about 3,000ft) below the ocean’s surface. The footage of the enormous animal marks the first time a giant squid’s behavior has been captured on film. Although the crew filmed the enormous animal over a year ago, they only recently made their accomplishment public in a British scientific journal.

Using an underwater camera with bait attached to the end of two hooks, the Japanese crew attracted a 26-foot long giant squid off of the shores of southern Japan. The camera took still pictures every 30 seconds of the creature's movement and hunting techniques. The squid's scientific name is Architeuthis dux. After watching the footage, scientists noticed that, contrary to previous beliefs, the squid is actually a very quick creature that attacks its prey head-on using its massive tentacles.

While the squid was attacking the bait attached to the crew’s camera, it became entangled in the hooks and tried to free itself. After 4 hours, the squid finally escaped, but left behind a tentacle measuring 20-feet long! Though injured, the school bus-sized squid will regenerate, or re-grow, its tentacle.

The crew, led by Tsunemi Kubodera from the National Science Museum in Tokyo, beat squid expert Steve O'Shea in the race to photograph a giant squid in the wild. O’Shea, who is from New Zealand, long wanted to film the behavior of squids, and he searched for the mysterious creature in what he believes to be their breeding ground. However, Kubodera and his crew found success by following the migration patterns of sperm whales to search for the creatures. Why? Sperm whales are known to feed on large squids, so the Japanese researchers were essentially following the predator to find the prey.

Because giant squids live very deep in the ocean where there is high pressure, freezing temperatures and no light, very little is known about their behavior.

--Written by Morgan Diamond

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