The Giant Squid of Thimble Tickle
/On the morning of November 2, 1878, Frederick Martin and two friends were fishing for cod in the small inlet known as Thimble Tickle on the north coast of Newfoundland, when they spotted a large, tangled, semi-submerged object near the shore. Thinking it might be part of a wreck, they rowed towards it. To their great surprise, it turned out to be a giant squid that had become stranded with the ebbing tide. The squid was flailing its huge tentacles and ejecting water in a struggle to make its way to deeper water.
To prevent the creature from escaping, they rowed closer and impaled the poor squid with their grapnel anchor, then went ashore and attached it to a tree. The fishermen kept a safe distance as the squid battled to free itself. The animal fought hard but could not free itself, and finally expired when the outgoing tide left it unable to breathe. Martin and friends took some measurements of the creature, then chopped it up for dog food.
According to the Guinness Book of Records, and if their measurements were accurate, at 4409 lbs (2004kg), it was the heaviest of its species ever recorded. It’s body was 20 ft (6.2m) long and one tentacle measured 35 ft (10.6m). Its eye was the biggest ever recorded of any animal species, measuring 15.75” (400mm) in diameter. It wasn’t, however, the largest squid ever recorded. That honor belongs to one that came ashore in New Zealand that was 57 ft (17.4m) long. Based on sightings at sea, though, it’s thought that giant squid may grow much larger. For example, a crewman aboard a British navy vessel claimed to see one that was as long as the ship - more than 175 feet (53m). Yowza!
No one, however, has ever observed one in its natural habitat, 1000-2000 feet (300-600m) below the surface of most of the world’s oceans. Thus, other than their anatomy, little is known about these great creatures. Combining the knowledge gained from dissections and assumptions made based on observations of other, smaller species of squid, here is what is known or thought to be known about the giant squid:
Their eyes are similar to human eyes and are the largest of any animal.
They are the longest of all invertebrates.
They have the most highly developed nervous system and most complex brain of any invertebrate.
They have two hearts.
Their skin cells can change color and texture almost instantly.
They have no bones.
They are thought to be solitary creatures, because on the occasions when they have been caught in fishing nets, there is never more than one caught at a time.
They eat crustaceans, fish, smaller squid and perhaps young sperm whales.
Their only known enemy is the sperm whale. This is known because of the remains of giant squid are often found in the stomachs of sperm whale carcasses, and because adult sperm whales often have battle scars that appear to be caused by the suckers of giant squid. Apparently the beaks from giant squids don’t digest well, because an older sperm whale might have several beaks in its stomach.
The list of what isn’t known about the giant squid is much longer:
How do they hunt?
How fast can they swim?
How often and when do they reproduce?
How are the eggs fertilized?
Why are the stomachs of most carcasses empty?
Why are the carcasses most often female?
How long do they live?
How fast do they grow and how big do they get?
Why do they have such a well developed nervous system?
Why are most carcasses found in the fall and early winter?
and the list goes on.
As little as is known about the giant squid, however, even less is known about the colossal squid, aka the kraken… by all accounts, the largest animal on earth. It is supposedly many times bigger than the giant squid and is thought to be responsible for the mysterious disappearance of many ships at sea. That’s probably what attacked the submarine Nautilus in Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Just something else for sailors to worry about at sea, along with storms, pirates, half submerged containers, angry whales, lightning, rogue waves, and collisions with ships.
See you next week…