Japanese Researchers Capture Giant Squid

[Capper]

A Japanese research team has succeeded in filming a giant squid live — possibly for the first time — and says the elusive creatures may be more plentiful than previously believed, a researcher said Friday.

The research team, led by Tsunemi Kubodera, videotaped the giant squid at the surface as they captured it off the Ogasawara Islands south of Tokyon earlier this month.

The squid, which measured about 24 feet long, died while it was being caught.

"We believe this is the first time anyone has successfully filmed a giant squid that was alive," said Kubodera, a researcher with Japan's National Science Museum. "Now that we know where to find them, we think we can be more successful at studying them in the future."

Giant squid, formally called Architeuthis, are the world's largest invertebrates.

Because they live in the depths of the ocean, they have long been wrapped in mystery and embellished in the folklore of sea monsters, appearing in ancient Greek myths or attacking the submarine in Jules Verne's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea."

The captured squid was caught using a smaller type of squid as bait, and was pulled into a research vessel "after putting up quite a fight," Kubodera said.

"It took two people to pull it in, and they lost it once, which might have caused the injuries that killed it," he said. The squid, a female, was not fully grown and was relatively small by giant squid standards. The longest one on record is 60 feet, he said.

Kubodera and his team had been conducting expeditions in the area for about three years before they succeeded in making their first contact two years ago.

Last year, the team succeeded in taking a series of still photos of one of the animals in its natural habitat — also believed to have been a first.
Until the team's successes, most scientific study of the creatures had to rely on partial specimens that had washed ashore dead or dying or had been found in the digestive systems of whales or very large sharks.

Kubodera said whales led his team to the squid. By finding an area where whales fed, he believed he could find the animals. He also said that, judging by the number of whales that feed on them, there may be many more giant squid than previously thought.

"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."

FOXNews.com - Japanese Researchers Capture Giant Squid
Holy Crap.....thats a lot of Calamari!!!!!!

[Dread]

Wow, calamari is right! Can you imagine swimming along and having one of those reach up and grab you? Holy smokes batman!

[Tyreal]

Really. This is legitimate? Can I see a link?

[Capper]

No kidding...."It was small byy Giant Squid standards.....measuring 24ft".....small? We'd be an appetizer for that thing

[Capper]

link added

[Tyreal]

Never mind, I just see you threw a link there. Here's another link you guys might find interesting:
Holy Squid! Photos Offer First Glimpse of Live Deep-Sea Giant

[pc_guy]

I want pictures!

EDIT:
Holy crap! that's one scary looking squid.

Anyway, I do believe it, there was a story a few years ago about a mysterious animal that washed up on the eastern shores of Canada. It was believed to be a giant squid.

[Tyreal]

There are pictures in the National Geographic link.

[Capper]

There are things in the ocean we have no clue about....I can only imagine the stuff we'd find if we had the ability to hit the depths.
I remember when I was a kid, back in the mid-70's, a boat harpooned a large shark, they estimated it to be 40-45 ft long, it drug the damn boat backward for three days before they cut it loose (it almost sunk the boat.

[Quakindude]

I just saw it on Foxnews. The video of the Squid being pulled into the boat. They say it's a baby....very young.