Comments on: Attack of the Giant Squid

Attack of the Giant Squid

Secret Life of Gravy — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 09:26:43 -0800

Uh Oh! Giant Squids, not to be confused with your regular, everyday squids, are washing up by the hundreds on the beaches of Southern California. This may be because Giant Squids are taking over the world!

By: Secret Life of Gravy

Secret Life of Gravy — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 09:29:26 -0800

From the third link: According to scientists, squid have overtaken humans in terms of total bio-mass. That's a lot of bio-mass.

By: Balisong

Balisong — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 09:36:08 -0800

The USA won't let giant squids take over the world. There will be a "War on Oceans" before it's all over.

By: rushmc

rushmc — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 09:38:04 -0800

Eat less fish, more calamari!

By: killy willy

killy willy — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 09:38:37 -0800

hmmm, seeing as I live 15 minutes from Newport Beach, maybe I should put out my anti-squid sandbags . . .

By: brheavy

brheavy — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 09:39:19 -0800

"Authorities said the squid — the biggest weighing 17 pounds..." Are these baby Giant Squid? That does not sound so giant to me. I guess I need to study up on these bio-mass competitors.

By: ROU_Xenophobe

ROU_Xenophobe — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 09:45:39 -0800

They think they're Humboldt squid, which can get upwards of 50lbs, are bad-tempered, and can put a hurtin' on you. If you've seen footage of a dude in a shark cage being molested by a bunch of man-sized squid that were changing color a lot, that's them.

By: LairBob

LairBob — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 09:47:05 -0800

Maybe they feel they can do more good working within the system.

By: Relay

Relay — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 09:47:38 -0800

Actually, I think these count as jumbo squid. Giant squid (Architeuthis dux) are another matter all together. They're tough bastards, able to pick fights with sperm whales and live.

By: Slack-a-gogo

Slack-a-gogo — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 09:50:53 -0800

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea has totally wrecked my perception of what makes a squid giant. When I heard the new story about giant squids washing up I imagined huge sea monsters filling the beach and then I heard that "some weigh up to 17 pounds" and was a little let down.

By: guruguy9

guruguy9 — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 09:50:56 -0800

Also seen on Fark earlier...

By: tpl1212

tpl1212 — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 09:54:19 -0800

"In the meantime, beachgoers were advised not to eat or even touch them..." Kids! Back in the house! Looks like we're going to Red Lobster afterall!

By: furious blush

furious blush — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 09:59:00 -0800

What I'd like to see is some action from ze vampire squid from hell!

By: absalom

absalom — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 09:59:20 -0800

Ants have more biomass than humans, too. Though, as I remember, Peter Benchley's Beast ended predicting a huge rise in killer giant squids due to their huge reproductive rate and the overfishing of their natural predators.

By: Divine_Wino

Divine_Wino — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 10:01:26 -0800

Those squids are all from Syria and Iran...

By: jimmythefish

jimmythefish — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 10:02:57 -0800

brheavy, I read in the Boston Globe that it's just the first wave of genetically engineered Al Squida Miniature Attack Giant Squid, launched to black out the presidential inauguration with their inky Weapons of Biomass Destruction. Hitting the other coast is just diversionary tactic for the real onslaught (why do you think it's called Black Thursday? Coincidence? I think not) to come later this afternoon, sometime after everyone's had lunch and are a little sleepy. Fortunately for us landlubbers, SpongeBob's recent spree of tolerance is diverting the public's attention to this impending tragedy, so he can fulfill his immediate CIA mandate of soaking up all this mess.

By: dabradfo

dabradfo — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 10:03:15 -0800

... and why does it take a couple of days to remove a 17 pound squid? Do typos abound in this story?

By: jb_thms

jb_thms — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 10:05:40 -0800

Are they sure it wasn't a 17 hundred pound squid? I didn't realize 17 pounds was 'giant'. Any encyclopedia entries list giant squid as anywhere between 200 and 2,000 pounds. just wondering.

By: tpl1212

tpl1212 — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 10:13:01 -0800

I didn't realize 17 pounds was 'giant'. It pulls in readers to write something like "Massive Sea Monsters Savage Coastlines; Residents Urged To Go About Their Business" as opposed to "Small- To Mid-Sized Squid Wash Up On Local Beach; Quickly Decompose"

By: j.p. Hung

j.p. Hung — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 10:14:01 -0800

Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you Could you live with this guilt? No wonder they're killing themselves.

By: Man O' Straw

Man O' Straw — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 10:25:36 -0800

At least it's a slow invasion... Giant squid are taking over the world!

By: Hands of Manos

Hands of Manos — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 10:27:15 -0800

these squid need to be introduced to the atkin's diet! (and possibly the hipster pda to keep track of their weight loss)

By: PurplePorpoise

PurplePorpoise — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 10:35:09 -0800

Serious question - I know people eat all kinds of squid but do people actually hunt for, and consume *giant* squid? Anyone know where I can pick some up? Is it any good? /loves seafood

By: Coherence Panda

Coherence Panda — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 10:36:14 -0800

Yeah, those are some pretty wussy 'giant' squid. *Real* giant squid have only been seen by human eyes about 250 times in modern history, and most of those were dead and beached. One of the few live spottings happened, quite appropriately, during a round-the-world yacht race named after Jules Verne, when a giant squid latched on to one of the racers: "It was bigger than a human leg. It was a tentacle."

By: sysinfo

sysinfo — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 10:47:37 -0800

Personally, I believe this was an invasion that was only thwarted since walking ain't just a matter of "being determined". Yeah yeah, different creatures. Squid, man-o-war, they're all invertebrates, and they all want our land!

By: evilcolonel

evilcolonel — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 10:49:16 -0800

Arr, I got nothin' against ye, Squiddy. I just heard there was gold in yer belly! BTW, I forsee big marketing opportunities for this classic Hanna-Barbera character.

By: Man O' Straw

Man O' Straw — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 10:53:09 -0800

A couple of interesting articles: "Arnold Schwarzenegger of the squids" "Around Baja, more gruesome stories are told about people getting killed by squid than by any other sea creature..." ...but apparently, kissing them calms them down, somewhat.

By: brheavy

brheavy — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 10:57:04 -0800

Coherence Panda: That was a fantastic article. I remember reading it last summer and I was amazed at the O'Shea guy's obsession. With all our technology, we can't seem to catch up to those squid.

By: X4ster

X4ster — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 11:03:23 -0800

PurplePorpoise, Jumbo squid yes; some people do fish for and eat Humbolt squid. Don't have info about true giant squid. You can dive among them in Baja California. Photos here and here.

By: MrMulan

MrMulan — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 11:05:47 -0800

I don't know why why stories that should have a pic caption with them don't. Show me the !@#$% giant squid...next to a human for comparison. Too much to ask?

By: X4ster

X4ster — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 11:12:09 -0800

MrMulan, Take a look at the links in post above.

By: Chunder

Chunder — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 11:17:52 -0800

By: Cicerius

Cicerius — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 11:19:59 -0800

Yeah, don't mock the Humboldt squid. There's a documentary about them that's among the most terrifying things I've ever seem. Fast, hyper-aggressive creatures that hunt in packs and appear to constantly communicate with each other by flashing patterns on their bodies. *shiver*

By: MrMulan

MrMulan — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 11:28:20 -0800

X4ster: Missed those...ahh better.

By: weapons-grade pandemonium

weapons-grade pandemonium — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 11:28:59 -0800

Rumour has it these squid were killed off Dubai by golf balls.

By: MrMulan

MrMulan — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 11:35:08 -0800

X4ster: But they aren't giant compared to the one I could have sworn I saw in the NY Aquarium when I was a kid. It was fighting with a whale(kinda of like Man O' Straw's post) There was even a caption on how the squid's tentacles had ripped off some of the whale's skin. Was I imagining this or was all this hype?

By: Cicerius

Cicerius — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 11:38:12 -0800

From Man O' Straw's second link: "Although they look flaccidly impotent when laid out dead on the deck, when alive in the water, Humboldt squid are powerful, vicious, meat-eating predators, and they are very dangerous to swim near. Around Baja, more gruesome stories are told about people getting killed by squid than by any other sea creature. Imagine a swarm of 50-pound animals capable of swimming more than 20 miles-per-hour, equipped with voracious appetites and over 1,000 suckers, each containing about 20 gripping teeth strong enough to tear human skin (correct, that's 20,000 teeth!). And, surrounded by that cluster of four-foot long arms is a powerful parrot's beak the size of a small tangerine, snapping and cutting at anything pulled within its reach." Is it really true that they can reach 16 feet off the coast of South Americe and that they can weigh "several hundred pounds"?

By: badkarmaboy

badkarmaboy — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 12:02:10 -0800

I for one, welcome our cephalopod overlords.

By: wendell

wendell — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 12:08:56 -0800

Beware! They're working their way inland!

By: ranchocalamari

ranchocalamari — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 12:11:03 -0800

Good, badkarmaboy, because my bretheren/sisteren will not tolerate decent. BUAAAAHHHAAAAAAAAA!!!! We march (or slither, or whatever tentacles do) on Washington DC tomorrow and will be taking tangerine sized chunks of republican flesh out of POTUS at 1300 hrs. Who's with us?!?!?

By: Secret Life of Gravy

Secret Life of Gravy — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 12:15:16 -0800

Imagine a swarm of 50-pound animals capable of swimming more than 20 miles-per-hour, equipped with voracious appetites and over 1,000 suckers, each containing about 20 gripping teeth strong enough to tear human skin I am sooo hoping these guys never develop lungs (and backbones!)

By: rough ashlar

rough ashlar — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 12:22:29 -0800

I am sooo hoping these guys never develop lungs (and backbones!) Then they would be more evolved than most politicians.

By: squidlarkin

squidlarkin — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 12:46:32 -0800

Our time is nigh. We cannot be stopped.

By: nogudnik

nogudnik — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 12:46:35 -0800

PurplePorpoise Giant Squid (the really giant ones) can't be eaten as they contain high levels of ammonia that they use for buoyancy. Nasty stuff that.

By: Balisong

Balisong — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 13:21:15 -0800

But makes your floors squeaky clean!!

By: Igor XA

Igor XA — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 13:23:31 -0800

Hmm - looks like Ken Macleod managed to perform an Arthur C. Clarke by predicting the future using science fiction novels... his "Engines of Light" series deal with a future in which spacecraft are piloted by kraken - or to be common, giant squid. posted by Chunder at 1:17 PM CST on January 20 IT'S A TRAP!!!

By: Nauip

Nauip — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 13:29:01 -0800

Hmm - contain high levels of MeFi posts... Yes, that would be toxic.

By: TwelveTwo

TwelveTwo — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 14:14:45 -0800

Ha, their military strategy has fallen flat. They overestimated their ability to survive in an air rich environment. Humans: 1 Squid: 0

By: Numenorian

Numenorian — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 14:18:32 -0800

By: cyrusdogstar

cyrusdogstar — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 14:45:29 -0800

IT'S A TRAP!!! posted by Igor XA at 4:23 PM EST on January 20 Nice suble reference to the Mon Calamari =)

By: gummo

gummo — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 14:53:06 -0800

PurplePorpoise: I spend quite a bit of time in Ensenada, in Baja California, MX, and I have seen giant (jumbo, Humbolt?) squid for sale in both the fresh fish market, and in the super markets there. Not being a squid expert, I have no idea exactly what type of squid they were, but was told they were 'giant squid'. I would estimate their length at 10 to 12 feet and they definitely weigh more than 17 pounds. I would guess about 40 or so.

By: X4ster

X4ster — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 16:08:22 -0800

PurplePorpoise; Lots of links to be found via Google for giant squid. here's one. I tend to discount those early seafarer's tales, but modern reports suggest that there are some really big squids out there. Gummo; I haven't been to Ensenada in several years. I miss the fish tacos... We used to drag a 15' Gregor down to Loreto area. Had some great trips, even saw a whale shark up close one time.

By: weapons-grade pandemonium

weapons-grade pandemonium — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 16:27:38 -0800

Is it possible the tsunami earthquake killed them? That split in the ocean floor was as long as California, and likely a major shock to anything swimming near the bottom, which squid do. Or maybe the quake disrupted their food supply, and they starved. It could have taken them this long to drift over and wash up on shore. The quake could have killed many other marine creatures that were more palatable, and therefore quickly eaten. Too late for an autopsy?

By: PurplePorpoise

PurplePorpoise — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 16:34:15 -0800

Thanks X4ster (great pics - you aren't involved with that project, where you?), nogudnik, & gummo!. The humbolts don't seem all that big (although I don't doubt that they can be as nasty as a pack of hungry wolves). Disappointing that truly giant squid are too ammonia-rich (ick). I guess mu gullet will have to settle for octopode of unusual size. /always wanted a pet octopus, wonder if there are any squid that make good pets

By: stuartmm

stuartmm — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 17:07:12 -0800

They fished out from Daveys Locker, Newport Beach, for them last night/today. http://www.daveyslocker.com/fish_count_page.htm ( this will cycle over tomorrow ) FREELANCE 88 GIANT SQUID, 38 BONITO, 5 SAND BASS 6-PACK CHARTER 7 Giant Squid, 8 Bonito 6-PACK CHARTER 8 Giant Squid, 12 Bonito Probably going out again tonight.

By: X4ster

X4ster — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 19:58:23 -0800

stuartmm; 35 pounders - I wish it was the Bonita they were talking about instead of the squid. I'd make the drive and be there at departure time! We used to catch 4-5 pound bonita, occasionally heavier, inside King Harbor in Redondo Beach. I think that the State record bonita was caught there, 30 pounds as I recall.

By: mdn

mdn — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 20:40:58 -0800

X4ster: But they aren't giant compared to the one I could have sworn I saw in the NY Aquarium when I was a kid. It was fighting with a whale(kinda of like Man O' Straw's post) ...Was I imagining this... There's a diorama in the AMNH of a squid and a sperm whale fighting, in the hall of marine life or whatever it's called (the one with the blue whale hanging from the ceiling). Maybe that's what you're thinking of?

By: mdn

mdn — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 20:44:22 -0800

aha. And the caption does discuss scarring on the whale's skin as you reference above...

By: weapons-grade pandemonium

weapons-grade pandemonium — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 20:46:21 -0800

Squid taking over the world? Sand in their vaginas, or what?

By: polyglot

polyglot — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 22:59:22 -0800

Giant squid with mind control. Plus they're excellent books.

By: ROU_Xenophobe

ROU_Xenophobe — Fri, 21 Jan 2005 06:05:24 -0800

Squid? Those were zeuglodonts or basilosaurus or some other early whale in those books. But they're still fun books.

By: polyglot

polyglot — Fri, 21 Jan 2005 19:16:01 -0800

d'oh. my bad.