| Yes there are sea monsters! |
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| ::darkshadows:: (blood@thirsty.net) |
2008/05/17 21:09 |
Yes there are sea monsters!
Yes there are sea monsters! The giant squid lives in the deepest,
coldest parts of the sea, growing up to 18 metres in length. It can
weight up to a tonne. Considered a mythical monster of the sea, often
appearing in stories, it is only in the last hundred years that any
convincing evidence has been offered of its existence. Very little is
known about this creature. No giant squid has ever been captured
alive. The only specimens we have of them are dead ones that have been
washed up on shores around the world.
The huge eyes of the giant squid, which can measure as much as 25
centimetres in diameter, are the biggest eyes in the animal kingdom.
Giant squid have eight powerful arms and two long tentacles, which
surround a parrot-shaped beak that is strong enough to sever steel
cable, and which is used to crush prey into bite-sized pieces. They
are capable of attacking whales.
The existence of the even bigger 'colossal squid' has been suspected
for many decades, as arms from the creature have occasionally been
recovered from the stomachs of sperm whales. But it wasn't until an
actual specimen was caught near Antarctica near New Zealand in March
2003 that the reality of this new type of squid was brought home to
scientists. The specimen was larger than any previously seen giant
squid, and it was only a young one, just half to two-thirds grown. It
was the first recovered with all its bits intact from the surface of
the ocean.
This squid has one of the largest beaks known of any squid, and seems
to have more muscles attached to its tentacles. It also has unique
swivelling hooks on the clubs at the ends of its tentacles. All of
these things make it a very deadly predator.
The fully-grown colossal squid is bigger than a double decker bus. It
has one of the largest beaks known of any squid and appears to have
more muscles attached to its tentacles. It also has got 25 teeth-like
hooks as sharp as razors on the clubs at the end of its tentacles. It
can turn around 360 degrees. All of this make it one of the most
frightening predators out there!
The first evidence of the colossal squid's existence came in 1925 when
two arms were recovered from a sperm whale's stomach. Only six
specimens of this squid were ever recovered prior to the 2003
Antartica find: five came from the stomachs of sperm whales and the
sixth was caught in a trawl net at a depth of 2,000 to 2,200 metres.
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