At the smithsonian was a very large squid.. probably my favorite thing in the ocean's hall.
The squid at the meseum is a male caught in July 2005. He is almost 20 feet long, has tentacles of about 15 feet and weighs slightly more than 100 pounds. http://ocean.si.edu/ocean_hall/squid.html
Size: The giant squid is the second largest mollusc and the second largest of all extant invertebrates. giant squid's mantles are not known to exceed 2.25 metres (7.4 ft) in length. Including the head and arms, but excluding the tentacles, the length very rarely exceeds 5 metres (16 ft).
Reproduction: is thought that they reach sexual maturity at about 3 years; males reach sexual maturity at a smaller size than females. Females produce large quantities of eggs, sometimes more than 5 kg, that average 0.5 to 1.4 millimetres (0.020 to 0.055 in) long and 0.3 to 0.7 millimetres (0.012 to 0.028 in) wide. Females have a single median ovary in the rear end of the mantle cavity and paired convoluted oviducts where mature eggs pass exiting through the oviducal glands, then through the nidamental glands. As in other squid, these glands produce a gelatinous material used to keep the eggs together once they are laid.
Feeding: Recent studies show that giant squid feed on deep-sea fish and other squid species. They catch prey using the two tentacles, gripping it with serrated sucker rings on the ends. Then they bring it toward the powerful beak, and shred it with the radula (tongue with small, file-like teeth) before it reaches the esophagus. They are believed to be solitary hunters, as only individual giant squid have been caught in fishing nets.
1 comment:
I thought it was very cool that they had an actual giant squid at the Smithsonian: very relevant posts!
Cathy
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