Giant Squid Facts

Giant Squid Facts

The giant squid is one of the monstrous creatures still alive and always alluring many researchers around the world but till this time seems more mystifying as none of the giant squids are captured alive and the research is based on the corpses which are washed ashore. This has led the scientists and researchers to study this mammoth sea creature from the carcasses washed ashore. With limited samples, the researchers have been able to know some amazing facts about this mammoth sea creature and one such aspect is its intelligence. Yes! The giant squids are intelligent creatures and it is no myth. Most of the giant squid are highly intelligent and at times very gentle There is an alien intelligence existing beneath the deep waters, a bizarre life form that appears to be breeding by the hundreds in cold black waters far below the surface. This intelligence resides in the giant squids that have three hearts, primate-like stereoscopic eyes, blue blood and brains large enough to suggest they are among the smartest creatures on earth.

The giant squids are smart hunters and during their hunt for food they make use of this quality, the intelligence, very much. Giant squids have been called the most opportunistic killers in the sea. They have been observed employing cooperative hunting techniques, yet they will not vacillate to overeat upon one another should they sense the slightest possible opening. It is being found that they will attack anything over which they sense an advantage, including humans.

Giant squids have been the most mystifying sea creature since a long time with more myths and tales than concrete scientific information. This has troubled the squid researchers as nothing was known about this giant creature. But recent studies have generated some success and a few details are now known about this creature. The food habit of the giant squid have also been a great mystery for the researchers but some of the recent studies on these creatures show that giant squid eat deep-sea fishes, such as orange ruffie, and hokie. They also eat some other species of squids, such as deep-sea squids, and not architeuthis, not the giant squid.

Another interesting factor about the giant squid is the eight arms it has which can grow up to 3 meters in length, but eventually none of them are used to grab prey. These two longer tentacles actually catch the prey. Giant squid have tentacles that may grow a length of 10-12 meters. At the other end, away from the head, the tentacles expand to look like clubs. Both arms and tentacles are equipped with suckers, which are sub-spherical cups lined with sharp, finely jagged rings of chitin. Suckers use powerful suction to hold onto prey while the rings of chitin sink into the ill-fated animal. The arms have suckers arranged in rows from the base near the mantle to the tips, whereas the tentacles are smooth from the base to near the club where there are small suckers

However, on records the largest squid found is Largest recorded giant squid was a female that washed ashore on a New Zealand beach in 1887 18 meters long (59.5 feet). Its mantle was 5 meters (16.4 feet). It weighed 1 metric ton. Scientists and squid researchers have being trying their level best to capture or study a living giant squid but till this time their hard efforts have not bearded fruits.