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July 13, 2007

Friday Squid Blogging: Rare Squid Washes up in Tasmania

A (dead) giant squid of the species Architeuthis washed up on a Tasmanian beach.

The hood of the squid is about two metres long and the body a couple of metres long.
A TPWS spokesman said the tentacles have been badly mangled so their length could not be measured.

Strahan senior ranger Chris Arthur said it is the first time that a giant squid has washed up on the beaches of the west coast, although the giant squid is known to be a food source for sperm whales, which have frequently stranded on the coast.

This article has different sizing:

A squid as long as a bus has washed up on a beach on the west coast of Tasmania.
Measuring eight metres from the tip of its body to the end of its tentacles, the squid weighs about 250 kilograms.

Good picture here; another one here. Another article here. And yet another article and video.

Posted on July 13, 2007 at 4:25 PM • 11 Comments • View Blog Reactions

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Comments

Heh. I was right.

http://petroniusarbiter.blogspot.com/2007/07/friday-squid-blogging-prediction.html

Posted by: petronius at July 13, 2007 5:15 PM

> Rare Squid Washes up in Tasmania

Considering that one of those monster squids washes up every other week they cannot be that rare.

Posted by: Anonymous at July 13, 2007 5:54 PM

Considering one of those giant monster squids washes up every other week they cannot be that rare.

Posted by: Anonymous at July 13, 2007 5:55 PM

Bruce,

How many people told you about this?

Posted by: Brad Hards at July 13, 2007 11:56 PM

what do you think about WSLabi?

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/07/06/a-new-market-for-software-flaws/#more-206

Posted by: Emilio at July 14, 2007 11:55 AM

Actually these do get washed up every week, but usually they are in such bad condition that it's impossible to know the real size.

Fundamentally, squid feed on other squid, and usually the washed up ones have big bites out of it from whatever killed it....

Posted by: Dom De Vitto at July 14, 2007 5:51 PM

Just FYI, Architeuthis is a *genus* not a species. Architeuthis dux is a species within the genus Architeuthis, which contains as many as seven other species.

Posted by: R. A. W. at July 15, 2007 1:09 AM

Bruce, here is more news from Australia: The 'Terrorist' arrested at Brisbane Airport has been charged by the AFP (Australian Federal Police) with "recklessly supplying a SIM card". Now not sure where this will lead but a letter writer to The Sydney Morning Herald said when she left Vietnam she gave her SIMM card to a young man she enjoyed chatting to in a bar: She now hopes he wasn't a communist.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/charged-doctor-to-seek-bail-today/2007/07/15/1184438149605.html

When this guy was arrested, six other foreigner doctors were arrested. Media responded with usual dignity, talking about *RAIDS* and computers and documents *SEIZED*. But it was all routine, checked out and the other six walked the next day. When the original news broke than an 'Al Queda Terrorist' was caught in Brisbane Airport the Media couldn't contain it's excitement. Like this will put Australia on the map. It's that lame.

Someone should print "I was promised an Al Queda Terrorist and all I got was this lousy SIM card" T-shirts.

Posted by: Kanly at July 15, 2007 7:09 PM

@Kanly: Right on about the T-shirt and the rest. The Chaser sure picked a fine time to take a holiday.

The best hope is that MediaWatch chases the scallywags in the Australian media back into their holes.

Posted by: War On Everything at July 16, 2007 12:17 AM

Let's hope, @War On Everything!

It just got more absurd. The Magistrate said the AFP's case was "very weak" and released him on bail. Immediately the Immigration Minister then had him picked up and imprisoned pending deportation. The charge: "Being associated with terrorists". But he hasn't even been tried, and the Magistrate said the case was weak!!! Plus it turns out he gave the SIM card to his second cousin over a year ago (unsure: when he left Britain to move Australia?). It wasn't used in the attacks.

Australia's Labor Opposition has backed up the Government: The Spirit of Timid Beazley is alive and well.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/justice-in-new-age-of-terrorism/2007/07/16/1184559705304.html

Posted by: Kanly at July 16, 2007 6:09 PM

How can anyone say that's 8 meters long. Look at the picture with people in it. Tall people are a little under 2 meters. There's no way that critter is 4 people long; 2, maybe, max.

It must be Hollywood license at work.

Posted by: Eric Norman at July 18, 2007 5:30 PM