Giant squid captured on film (Tokyo, Japan)

tokyo japan giant squid

Giant squid researcher Tsunemi Kubodera from Tokyo, Japan's National Science Museum as well as Kyoichi Mori of the Ogasawara Whale Watching Association have captured the first pictures of a live squid.

All previous pics of these mysterious beasts have been of ones that washed ashore or were otherwise non-functioning. They captured more than 500 images using a baited hook. As the picture above shows, the animal caught his tentacle in the hook. After a long struggle, he broke free, but without his appendage. (They grow back, so no letters from PETA please).

These pictures were taken at a depth of 2,950' (900m) off Japan's Ogasawara Islands. The creature himself (or herself) was about 25 feet long.

The beastie was just lucky that one of his fellows didn't chance along, as there are reports that they reportedly eat their own.

UPDATE: The news just gets more and more damning for these enormous beasts. The Independent informs us that scientists from the Institute of Marine Research in Vigo discuss the intimate lives of these Architeuthis dux in the magazine of the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas:

This is no ordinary eight-foot penis. It is hypodermic, and hence able to pierce the female's arm and impregnate her.

Not only that, but the owner has horribly bad aim, occasionally plunging his squidhood into other males... and even himself!

"The male's sexual organ is actually a bit like a high-pressure fire hose and is normally nearly as long as his body, excluding legs and head... But having such a big penis does have one drawback: it seems co-ordinating eight legs, two feeding tentacles and a huge penis, whilst fending off an irate female, is a bit too much to ask, and one of the two males stranded had accidentally injected himself with sperm packages in the legs and body."

Just keep repeating to yourself: it's nature's way, it's nature's way.

Comments

That's not a squid, that's bull shit

Posted by: Roffles on November 3, 2006 07:12 PM

very interesting...and very cool!

Posted by: Mike on November 26, 2006 04:28 PM

this is so fake i was there when this was taken. I dont believe in chinese people

Posted by: bobbyl on December 8, 2006 07:10 AM

Hey bobbyl, chinese people live in China..japanese people live in Japan..if you still don't know that you should go back to school..If you're still in school well get some help and fast!

Posted by: Reality Check on December 23, 2006 02:13 AM

its a jelly fish! I can smell it.

Posted by: jim on December 25, 2006 10:23 AM