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Posted: 17-01-2003 22:18 Post subject:

Not only that ryn, but as most giant squid are known from corpses and live ones have only been seen fleetingly we don't know whether or not they do surface from time to time.We don't know the life cycle of these enigmatic creatures and extrapolating behaviour from similar species is dangerous.

Its not that long ago that people thought that Swallows hibernated in ponds, also people thought that Barnacle Geese came from the Goose Barnacle.

Posted: 17-01-2003 23:39 Post subject:

"experts"....don't you just love 'em

Posted: 18-01-2003 11:57 Post subject:

I tried to get some more info on this from the official [URL=Jules Verne round-the-world sailing trophy]race website[/URL], but it's not very user friendly, and bits of it don't seem to work properly.

However, it's clear this is not so much a race as a world record attempt, so as I said before there's no way the crew would stop for an hour if they didn't have to. Sailing boats (no engine noise) frequently hit whales, so why not squid?

I have read somewhere that squid generally only come to the surface when they're dying.

Posted: 18-01-2003 13:44 Post subject:

Assuming the story is true, it really gives credence to the Kraken legend. It would only take one instance of a huge-ass squid latching onto a boat to keep people talking for generations!

Posted: 18-01-2003 16:26 Post subject:

A Jules Verne Trophy! How appropriate! ( ---> 20000 leagues under the sea)

Posted: 18-01-2003 17:27 Post subject:

Posted: 18-01-2003 18:16 Post subject:

Posted: 18-01-2003 18:44 Post subject:

Another interesting fact that magnifies the proportions of the ones found on beaches. Water-born invertibrates, especially squid are almost entirely comprised of Water. 90% or thereabouts.

If one is found dead on the beach....it will have shrunk considerably. CONSIDERABLE SHRINKAGE!!! Very Happy

The 60 foot squid may be more than 100 feet in length when it was alive.

Are the dead ones fully grown anyway?

Posted: 18-01-2003 18:57 Post subject:

Posted: 18-01-2003 21:43 Post subject:

Posted: 18-01-2003 21:53 Post subject:

...and mushrooms! Smile

Posted: 18-01-2003 22:11 Post subject:

Look at what fungi in general can do to tarmac.

Posted: 19-01-2003 04:16 Post subject: Re: Giant Squid grabs race yacht

Posted: 20-01-2003 00:28 Post subject:

You'd have thought if they'd made it up for a joke they would have done better than a 26ft specimen. Whilst 26ft isn't exactly a tiddler, it's hardly extraordinary.

Posted: 13-02-2003 15:12 Post subject: Squid

I saw that photo of the squid in the Mail - it was quite a while ago now but I recall it clearly. The background was pitch black so there was nothing to judge the size of the thing from, it looked like a standard small squid of some kind with short tentacles etc. with a minnow or something photoshopped on the front. Definately not a shark of any great size.

Anyway, I thought a squid's er...what's the word... throat... type thing, went through it's brain, so it wouldn't be able to swallow anything of any real size (like a shark). Unless it was gonna bite the shark up real small. In which case it'd probably get eaten by the shark in the process. Well, that's my very scientific theory for you!