Calamari for Christmas

December 22, 2006 7:42 AM

Live giant squid captured off Japan. (Reuters video). Alas, the squid died during capture. Poor squid.
posted by spitbull (64 comments total)

The same scientists had earlier photographed a live giant squid, previously discussed here.
posted by spitbull at 7:45 AM on December 22, 2006

Big sushi party tonight!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:48 AM on December 22, 2006

I saw a show on Discovery about the photography expedition, they featured a colleague of the original team who has been working towards raising harvested giant squid eggs in captivity. They all seemed to die after a year or so, but it seemed to make more sense to me than capturing a full size one and hoping to transplant it; seeing as how we know very little about its habitat, hunting and feeding routines and a myriad of other intricacies.
posted by prostyle at 7:56 AM on December 22, 2006

holy cow!
yeah flapjax i could go for sashimi
posted by nola at 7:56 AM on December 22, 2006

Moment of silence for the fallen ones.
posted by The Giant Squid at 8:04 AM on December 22, 2006 [3 favorites]

When are we going to finally admit that these things just don't exist?
posted by pinto at 8:08 AM on December 22, 2006

I would like to see Royce Gracie fight a giant squid.

(I'm thinkin stalemate.)
posted by LordSludge at 8:21 AM on December 22, 2006

I'm suprised i didn't see this on the Squid rss feed, yet.
posted by pithy comment at 8:25 AM on December 22, 2006

THE OLD ONES ARE DISPLEASED.

SCIENCE WILL PAY DEARLY. IN FEAR, PAIN AND BLOOD.
posted by loquacious at 8:27 AM on December 22, 2006

"I don't think they are in danger of extinction at all."

Yeah, I'd try to convince people of the same thing if I had just killed one of them.
posted by amro at 8:28 AM on December 22, 2006

I wonder if they even tried to keep it alive.
posted by itchylick at 8:43 AM on December 22, 2006

didn't that squid know it was a trap?
posted by sonofslim at 8:44 AM on December 22, 2006 [1 favorite]

No sushi, big squid taste like salty ammonia.
posted by Iron Rat at 8:44 AM on December 22, 2006

It is super cool to see the vid of one of those puppies.
posted by Iron Rat at 8:47 AM on December 22, 2006

Yes, when it comes to cephalopods the smaller ones usually taste better. Also the Koreans say you should eat them as fresh as possible! (YouTube, looks kinda gross)
posted by clevershark at 8:59 AM on December 22, 2006

I thought giant squids could fly.

disappointed. :(
posted by Baby_Balrog at 9:04 AM on December 22, 2006

I was expecting something 20 feet long. That's pretty disappointing.
posted by xmutex at 9:11 AM on December 22, 2006

Until we get video tape of a sperm whale/ giant squid death match, I will not be satisfied.
posted by Atreides at 9:12 AM on December 22, 2006

Until we get video tape of a sperm whale/ Michael Jackson death match, I will not be satisfied.
posted by Astro Zombie at 9:17 AM on December 22, 2006

should have put a tracking device on it.
posted by delmoi at 9:18 AM on December 22, 2006

should have put a tracking device on it..

I suspect it would have been tracked right to a Sushi Bar. Along with every other creature that boat caught... including bigfoot.
posted by tkchrist at 9:23 AM on December 22, 2006

And you know this how, Iron Rat?
posted by bitter-girl.com at 9:24 AM on December 22, 2006

I thought giant squids could fly.

disappointed. :(
posted by Baby_Balrog at 12:04 PM EST on December 22

Maybe J.K. Rowling will write Harry Potter and the Giant Flying Squid if you ask pretty please with a cherry on top.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 9:28 AM on December 22, 2006

Oh my lord, thank you for this post, spitbull. The last link is just fascinating.

Part of the reason squid are so cool for me is because of the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ride, formerly at Disney World. (youtube) I loved that ride dearly, but the squid sequence (7:10) was the best. It absolutely terrified me as a child, and it still kinda does.

large, glassy, dead eyes haunting my dreams
posted by Shecky at 9:31 AM on December 22, 2006

"Sperm whales need from 500 to 1,000 kilograms (1,100-2,200 pounds) of food every day," he said. "There are believed to be 200,000 or so of them, and that would suggest there are quite a few squid for them to be feeding on. I don't think they are in danger of extinction at all."

See, kids? That's how science works. Your favourite extinction theory sucks.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 9:37 AM on December 22, 2006

Wouldn't this be the most hideous thing possible to have in captivity? An (eventually) 20m long, pissed-off blob with giant sticky, crushing tentacles filled with inky ammonia that will want to do nothing but hate you and eat seals all day long.

Scientist: Aww, come on Director! We found it! Can we keep it? Pleeeeeease?
Director: NO!
Scientist: Pleeeeeeease? (bats eyes).
Director: Welll....OK. But once it reaches 15m it's OUTTA HERE!
Scientist: Yippee!
posted by jimmythefish at 9:40 AM on December 22, 2006 [1 favorite]

I, for one, welcome our new...nevermind.
posted by Totally Zanzibarin' Ya at 9:45 AM on December 22, 2006

Sperm whales may kill giant squid using a sonic boom!
posted by algreer at 9:55 AM on December 22, 2006

I was expecting something 20 feet long. That's pretty disappointing.

Me too. The report said that they can get upwards of 65 feet long. Call me when they get THAT on video!

Also, this post is missing the kraken tag.
posted by Robot Johnny at 10:09 AM on December 22, 2006

Arrr, but the bigger question: was there gold in its belly?
posted by darkstar at 10:10 AM on December 22, 2006

I'm not surprised it died, it looks like they caught it on a squid jig which is a particularly nasty contraption.
posted by TungstenChef at 10:14 AM on December 22, 2006

.
posted by kuujjuarapik at 10:22 AM on December 22, 2006

.
posted by Busithoth at 10:22 AM on December 22, 2006

"Now that we know where to find them, we think we can be more successful at studying them in the future."

hopefully with a little more emphasis on the studying than the capturing. Sorry to snark, but human hands have an unparalleled propensity to exterminate whatever they touch. ok, asteroids can compete.

Still, awesome links. and The Giant Squid.. we know where you live.
posted by sarcasman at 10:31 AM on December 22, 2006

If Humans are eventually responsible for their extinction, I doubt it will be due to an everybody wants one kind of thing.
posted by longsleeves at 11:04 AM on December 22, 2006

That's a cool link, algreer. Almost as good as the tale whereby Aristotle Onassis used to invite women to sit on the biggest penis in the world, as his barstools were made of Sperm Whale phalluses (in fact, it was only that case that the coverings were made of whale penile skin).

And now you know.

Aslo, Squid. If they tried to invade, would the Octopodes be on our side, or theirs?
posted by Sparx at 11:12 AM on December 22, 2006

You don't understand... if we kill the squids the grey caps will get us!

*hides*
posted by papercake at 11:15 AM on December 22, 2006 [1 favorite]

the Koreans say you should eat them as fresh as possible!

What if I don't like Koreans
posted by elpapacito at 11:16 AM on December 22, 2006

Re: Iron Rat's assertion - I also read an article where a scientist cuts up and eats a piece of dead giant squid and notes the salty ammonia taste. This reveals something practical about the habitat of the squid. Somehow. IANAGSR.

But I'm leavin for the day an I ain't got time to look 'er up.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 11:18 AM on December 22, 2006

Yeah, I just seen the video from Digg. They need to get that thing out of the small container so that it can grow to it's potential. What are they even going to do with that thing anyway?
posted by TravisJeffery at 11:26 AM on December 22, 2006

This is so damned cool I can hardly stand it. Thanks!

Humboldt Squid are pretty cool, too (like mini-kraken). Look! See?
posted by Pecinpah at 11:28 AM on December 22, 2006

And it was bitter and tasting of ammonia, really terrible stuff. The next morning we analyzed it in the lab, and found that there were ammonium ionsi - lighter than sea water - concentrated in the squids tissues, serving as little personal flotation devices.

Nothing a sushi eater can't tolerate. You know, if they are foolish enough to attempt eating Fogu what could stop them ? A darwin award ?
posted by elpapacito at 11:36 AM on December 22, 2006

Sorry to snark, but human hands have an unparalleled propensity to exterminate whatever they touch. ok, asteroids can compete.

The vast majority of asteroids are peaceful, living in a circular orbit between those of Mars and Jupiter, and threatening no one. It is grossly unfair to stereotype the entire asteroid race based on the violent actions of a tiny, tiny minority of them.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 11:48 AM on December 22, 2006 [1 favorite]

This would be really cool if they had just not killed it.
posted by Shutter at 11:51 AM on December 22, 2006

It's a cephalopodmas miracle.
posted by cephalopodcast at 11:51 AM on December 22, 2006

Bittergirl.com - In a previous life I was a sperm whale? There are occasional humbolt squid in my area and I am just repeating what I have heard from other fishermen, that the bigger ones get funky tasting. And I assume (hate that word) that it holds true for this kind of squirt.
posted by Iron Rat at 11:53 AM on December 22, 2006

Yeah seriously, I was about to say, what do these Japanese "researchers" want to capture a giant squid for? They taste terrible.

One of the more unusual aspects of giant squid (as well as some other species of large squid) is their reliance upon the low density of ammonia in relation to seawater to maintain neutral buoyancy in their natural environment, as they lack the gas-filled swim bladder that fish use for this function; instead, they use ammonia (in the form of ammonium chloride) in the fluid of their flesh throughout their bodies, making it taste not unlike salmiakki. This makes the giant squid unattractive for general human consumption, although sperm whales seem to be attracted by (or are at least tolerant of) its taste.

posted by danny the boy at 12:32 PM on December 22, 2006

This gives us a whole new direction for tentacle Pr0n.
posted by Parannoyed at 12:39 PM on December 22, 2006

This just in, giant squid now extinct.
posted by chillmost at 2:33 PM on December 22, 2006

Also dead, but still commanding at 25+ feet: Squid Vicious.
posted by rob511 at 2:40 PM on December 22, 2006

If we fuck with these guys too hard, we might be on the receiving end of a rude lesson about who's really at the top of the food chain.
posted by jason's_planet at 6:39 PM on December 22, 2006

R.I.P. Giant Squid

Cthulhu will avenge you.
posted by homunculus at 7:04 PM on December 22, 2006

Why are they dragging up giant squid? We still haven't solved the problem with the Giant Jellyfish.....
posted by gomichild at 7:53 PM on December 22, 2006

No sushi, big squid taste like salty ammonia.

Mmmmmm... salty ammonia!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 12:32 AM on December 23, 2006

Arrr, squiddy! I've got nothing against ya. I just heard there was gold in your belly.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 1:13 AM on December 23, 2006

if you like squid stories, as well as stories relating to cryptography and security issues, the well-known security guru bruce schneier (no, that's not me, it's somebody else) blogs about squid every friday at www.schneier.com/blog

why, i don't know.
posted by bruce at 2:06 AM on December 23, 2006

security guru bruce schneier ... blogs about squid every friday

A sonic image just popped into my head: the Pogues' Shane McGowan, slurring in his inimitable sloppy-drunk, spit-it-out delivery (as the band pounds out a raucous reel): "an' 'e blogs about squid ev'ry Fridaaaaay!"
posted by flapjax at midnite at 3:15 AM on December 23, 2006

Caught on a squid jig? No wonder it didn't survive!

Calamari wrestler will avenge!
posted by asok at 3:59 AM on December 23, 2006

"Alas, the squid died during capture."

Almost makes it sound like it was the squid's fault... When will we learn some respect?
posted by the_very_hungry_caterpillar at 4:33 AM on December 23, 2006

When the squid stand up, we can stand down. Until then, we'll study the $#!@% out of them.

For their own good.
posted by darkstar at 1:44 PM on December 23, 2006

And PeterMcDermott, D'OH!

:)
posted by darkstar at 2:15 PM on December 23, 2006

Almost makes it sound like it was the squid's fault... When will we learn some respect?

No disrespect to the squid intended. I should have said "was killed during capture."

I too find it a disturbing example of the bullshit edge of "science" that seems more about thrill seeking.
posted by spitbull at 4:29 PM on December 23, 2006

Here's information on the caretaking of pet squid. They like burlap sacks and oak logs.
posted by taursir at 1:35 PM on December 24, 2006

Also liquid helium.
posted by ryanrs at 2:07 AM on December 25, 2006