The Aussies love to brag about their exotic fauna, so I probably shouldn’t inflate their egos further, but they’ve done it again: they’ve netted another ginormous squid. This one is about 6 meters long, and 230 kg.
They always look so flabby and pathetic when they’re shown flopped down dead on a boat’s deck, don’t they? It’s like having human funeral viewings where they soak the body in a lake somewhere for a week — it’s neither pretty nor representative.
Good morning, PZ.
Just curious, but what is that dude doing…looking for bus fare?
For the metrically-challenged among us, that’s about 21 ft and 507 lbs. Wow.
That’s nothing… NZ’s giant squid are much bigger than that…
Also, I think you should check out the Japanese footage of Taningia Danae… that’s some amazing film of big squid in their natural habitat. They might give it to you. They certainly wouldn’t give it to me… that said, I’m a pol sci student, so I couldn’t really prove I needed it or would put it to a good use.
That’s not a squid…THIS is a squid!
Not only are NZ’s squid bigger but you can watch the sperm whales in waters that also contain giant squid just off the coast. With spectacular maritime alps in the background.
wazza:
you should check out TONMO.com they should have that, or at least a link to it. check out the video/picture archives.
I wonder if that’s the Leviathin spoken about in the book of Job, the same book in which God rebukes people for failing to understand Him (or more accurately, failing to recognize their own inability to understand Him).
Are you going to just sit there and let them kill your babies like that???!!!???
The man in the picture is exposing the beak of the squid. It’s the only structure in that whole gigantic jelly mess that will still be around after decomposition.
Did the guy in the green shirt evolve from the squid?
What nonsense.
Leviathan = crocodile, behemoth = hippo.
No, of course not. What’s your point?
I’m just glad that Ol’ Uncle Briney aint around to hear you say that.
I visited Kseniya in Western Africa. It’s a beautiful region, and they also had squid there off the coast.
Pish. Where are the murderous claws? Mere six metre long emissaries of the Deep Ones no longer impress me. I demand more nightmarish cephalopods!
You know you’ve been on the Internet too long when you see that picture and all you can think of is squid goatse….
Hey, those other recently famous big squid were caught by New Zealand vessels. Aussie is already claiming Scott Dixon, they can’t take our weird creatures of the deep!
Oh wait… they can have this one. :-)
what do they do with these squid? are they eaten?
We also boast the biggest blowflies.
Fear us. Hell hath no fury like an Aussie scorned.
What’s up with the sudden bonanza of dead, giant squid?
Ugh! Drive-by stoopid! Thats uncalled for!
I’ll be down that part of Victoria in August for a wedding. I’ll have to make sure I try the calamari.
It should be noted that giant squid, unlike colossal squid, aren’t edible. And also that the person who actually caught the squid was a kiwi working in the australian fishing industry.
Really, wazza? Why would it not be edible?
Does anyone else get the feeling really big squid should be protected, like really big trees in old growth forests?
Im against killing cephalopods at all for (at least one of) the same reasons I am against monkey eating. But there is something extra-sad about those big fellas.
Why, oh why could they not leave this amazing cephalopod free to roam the briny deep? I assume that’s what he does, if given his druthers.
Good grief,
I go away for a couple of days and come back to find the site is displaying squid porn. Okay, I know its the critters mouth but it does look a little like, um, you know, that the squiddy is getting, um, fisted.
Holy cow! I have never seen a picture of an octopus that big.