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MOLLUSCA:
CEPHALOPODA: ARCHITEUTHIDAE: Architeuthis
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Architeuthis
dux Steenstrup, 1857
Giant Squid
Photos
& text by Dr. Robert G. Sprackland, with data supplied by David
Heppell (National Museums of Scotland) and Richard Ellis.
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A preserved giant squid in the zoology collection of
the
National Museums of Scotland, Edinburgh.
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Range: Apparently oceans worldwide, but mainly in
deep cooler waters.
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Diagnosis: A squid with a very narrow neck, tentacles several
times longer than the mantle, and toothed central club suckers.
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Description:
This is the world's largest and most massive invertebrate animal; only
tapeworms may grow longer. The adult squid is unmistakable; the eyes are
as large as the head of an adult human, the mantle is smooth and has a
large triangular fin, the neck is very thin, and the two tentacles may
stretch more than 10 meters.
Model of a giant squid at London's Natural History Museum.
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Natural History:
This, the bulkiest invertebrate known, is still known only from carcasses
that have been accidentally netted, or specimens that have washed up dead
to shore. Specimens, such as the large arm shown below (Natural History
Museum, Vienna), leave little about the size of this creature to the
imagination. A beak from a large squid may be larger than a grow man's
fist, and be razor sharp.
To date, all efforts to locate or capture
a live Architeuthis have met with failure. Recent sightings have
been made off New Zealand, which has led to a Smithsonian Institution
expedition to find specimens. The best overview of the species is Ellis
(see "Literature"). In 2001, New Zealand scientists collected
and videotaped live larvae of this species, the first time it was seen
alive by humans. Attempts to maintain young in aquaria have so far failed.
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Reproduction: Unknown.
Males can secrete a sperm package under the skin of a female, and sperm
apparently migrate to fertilize the eggs.
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Taxonomy & Relationships:
The status of species of giant squids is, like most other aspects of their
biology, controversial. Leading authorities, however, seem to agree that
one worldwide species is involved.
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Variation:
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Additional Comments:
Though poorly known, it is likely that an encounter with a live giant
squid would be extremely dangerous. They have the strength and beak to
easily kill a human.
The leading authorities on giant squids are O'Shea (New Zealand), Roper
(Smithsonian), and Ellis (American Museum of Natural History).
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Type Specimen:
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Literature: Click on book to order.
Ellis,
Richard. 1998. The Search for the Giant Squid. The Lyons
Press. ISBN: 1-55821-689-8.
Nesis, Kir. 1982. Cephalopods of the World. TFH Publications.
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