More from our Squid correspondent

[English assassin]

Its been a big month for squid news.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asi...ic/6385071.stm

New Zealand fishermen have caught what is expected to be a world-record-breaking colossal squid.
Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton said the squid, weighing an estimated 450kg (990lb),took two hours to land in Antarctic waters.

Local news said the Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni was about 10m (33ft) long, and was the first adult colossal squid landed intact

Check it out folks. Ten metres long and half a ton in weight. That's what I'm talking about

[Fragony]

so awesome..........

[Fisherking]

Not good news for the fish is it…



http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/1492380.stm

http://www.aad.gov.au/default.asp?casid=1539

[Hosakawa Tito]

Calamari for everyone.

[ShadeHonestus]

Is there an Org title "Squid Correspondent"? If not, I'd have to say that stock is rising in its potential.

Both species of Toothfish are known to be eaten by sperm whales and elephant seals.

Well that settles it!! Grab your harpoons and clubs, its time to re-establish the hierarchy!

[R'as al Ghul]

I don't get it. In the article EA posted, they say that it's an adult "Colossal" squid with a length of ca. 10m. And yet, in the graphic further down they scale a "Giant" squid at already 13m and the "Colossal" one at an unknown length?

[BDC]

Well no one knows how big they grow really. They are hardly ever seen after all, and I guess they don't know if these are fully grown or not.

[English assassin]

Is there an Org title "Squid Correspondent"?

There is now. I am on a self appointed mission to ensure the backroom is kept up to date with everything thats new in the world of the coolest of undersea creatures, squid. Dev Dave can be our correspondent in America if he likes.

I don't get it. In the article EA posted, they say that it's an adult "Colossal" squid with a length of ca. 10m. And yet, in the graphic further down they scale a "Giant" squid at already 13m and the "Colossal" one at an unknown length?

Good spot. But Danny DeVito is short and he is still an adult person. I reckon they can grow up to any size, maybe half a mile long or something. (squid, not actors.) Possibly. We'll keep you posted on that one. I'm telling you, those sperm whales have got it coming to them.

[ShadeHonestus]

There is now. I am on a self appointed mission to ensure the backroom is kept up to date with everything thats new in the world of the coolest of undersea creatures, squid. Dev Dave can be our correspondent in America if he likes.

Good spot. But Danny DeVito is short and he is still an adult person. I reckon they can grow up to any size, maybe half a mile long or something. (squid, not actors.) Possibly. We'll keep you posted on that one. I'm telling you, those sperm whales have got it coming to them.

As far as the length goes, didn't they once only catch or find, as may have been the case, one extremely long tentacle which reasonably speaking had to come from a squid of a particular size, but there wasn't a body to prove it?

[Fragony]

Well no one knows how big they grow really. They are hardly ever seen after all, and I guess they don't know if these are fully grown or not.

This one was still alive, that has never been seen before

[monkian]

C'thulu ! C'thulu ! C'thulu !

[InsaneApache]

They got it back home. Now there's the problem of thawing it out. A giant microwave for a gigantic squid! My world gets more surreal by the day.

An industrial-scale microwave oven may have to be used to defrost a colossal squid caught in the Antarctic last month, scientists say.

They are pondering how to thaw out the half-tonne squid in a way that makes sure none of it rots before other parts have defrosted.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asi...ic/6478801.stm

Now would you want fries with that?

[KukriKhan]

Wow. The biggest microwave I can find is this one, still too small for a 1,000 lb squid, I think.

[Csargo]

Seems news travels slower to the Backroom.

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=79953

[Devastatin Dave]

Great reporting EA!!! Look at its color!!! I was watching a documentary on the Science Channel about a man that is trying to catch baby giant squid (about the size of your fingernail, and raise them in captivity. So far the only ones he's caught haven't lived more than a couple of months. In a way, I wish that this creature had never been discovered and was still just considered drunken exagerations of long at sea fishermen (see sea cows as mermaids) because I fear that more and more encrouchment will occure to what is mostly untouched by man's destructive force; the ocean.

My God, what an impressive find though!!! I can just envision epic battles between a sperm whale and this beautiful creature!!!

[Ironside]

I don't get it. In the article EA posted, they say that it's an adult "Colossal" squid with a length of ca. 10m. And yet, in the graphic further down they scale a "Giant" squid at already 13m and the "Colossal" one at an unknown length?

I'm not certain, but it seems that squids grow thier whole life, making a young adult quite small compared to an old one.

[Devastatin Dave]

Squids do grow throughout their lives. Actually, most marine animals, vertebrates and invertibrates do the same with the exception of marine mammals. Squids have a short lifespan but grow very rapidly. The special I saw showed how tiny the giant squid starts out. The thing is that its so elusive that they are not sure of the lifespan of these animals. But if you look at the lifespans of more common (common as in more accessible, no one really knows if Giant Squid are numerous or extremely rare) are sometimes as short as 2 years. Can you imagine the growth cycle of something that starts off the size of your finger nail to something that reaches 30 meters!!!

[Devastatin Dave]

I'm a bit confused...
http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/perm...spermwhale.php
In this it says they can live up to 80 years? How do they know that? Hmmmm

[InsaneApache]

Seems news travels slower to the Backroom.

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=79953

Nope. Both threads were started on the same day.

[Suraknar]

Wow...

I wonder what hunts Squid as Large as this... :P

Maybe that is what Megalodon Carcharias once ate?

[English assassin]

[QUOTE=Suraknar]Wow...

I wonder what hunts Squid as Large as this... :P
QUOTE]

Sperm whales. Sperm whale vs giant/collossal squid is the all time great heavyweight championship fight in the anmial kingdom, as CR and I discussed a while back. IIRC CR was on the side of the whales, whereas I have alsways been for the squid. I don't remember if DD has said where he stands on this one but I'd lay good money he's rooting for the squid too.

Squid rule. Respect their awesomeness.

[Vladimir]

I'm a bit confused...
http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/perm...spermwhale.php
In this it says they can live up to 80 years? How do they know that? Hmmmm

It’s calamari, they cut it in half and count the rings.

[BDC]

Time to microwave this big frozen squid up...

[Husar]

I'm a bit confused...
http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/perm...spermwhale.php
In this it says they can live up to 80 years? How do they know that? Hmmmm

That's spermwhales, not squid.
Whales are a lot easier to research because they surface and can be tagged with sensors etc.

[Devastatin Dave]

Thanks Husar...
I love the squids, but Obviously the Sperm Whale wins, all you have to do is count the squid beaks in their stomach. It would still be a hell of a thing to witness.

[Csargo]

Nope. Both threads were started on the same day.

Your right didn't notice that. I'm sorry I'll go back to the Gameroom where I belong.

[InsaneApache]

Your right didn't notice that. I'm sorry I'll go back to the Gameroom where I belong.

Well if you stick your neck into the backroom, what do you expect?

Don't slope off to the gamesroom, stay awhile....the waters loverley!!!

[Caius]

Nope. Both threads were started on the same day.

Seems Sasaki is slower.

Or he just wanted to +1?