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28 September 2005
squid in the news
The big squid news is that Japanese researchers finally caught one on tape, and literally caught one of its tentacles. (Their paper is available online here if you must know all the details.) The squid was estimated at 26 feet in length, which is pretty damn big. The way I picture this in my mind: The depth of the swimming pool at the local park where I grew up was 12 feet. Double that. And add 2 more feet. Now put in a squid, that reaches from top to bottom. That is one big squid.
Supposedly they get even bigger, equal in length to the height of a five-story building.
Just knowing they're out there makes me happy. To me, squid (and octopi) are like sharks and crocodiles: They've been around a long time, pretty much as they are. And if humans don't screw things up for them they'll likely be around long after we're gone. Rats, too. And cockroaches, I suppose, but I really can't muster any affection for them.