Sea Monsters: Search for the Giant Squid Page #2

The advanced nervous system

gives them lightning reflexes

and a deadly attack.

Off the California coast,

near Monterey,

a submersible robot is lowered

into the deep.

"sonar is..."

Below, is Monterey Canyon,

the deepest submarine fissure along

the continental United States

and probably the most carefully

observed deep water in the world.

Scientists from the Monterey Bay

Aquarium Research Institute

have been studying life in

canyon on a regular basis

for more than a decade.

"Yeah... what's up here to the right."

"Look at this guy, right up..."

Any day, they could discover

a living Architeuthis

and they have observed many

remarkable squid.

They have also observed species of

squid never before seen alive

in their natural element.

Moroteuthis, a slender

and very large squid,

which grows up to 15 feet;

Like the giant squid, almost

nothing is known about its behavior.

Perhaps the strangest

is Vampyroteuthis.

It's been called a "living fossil"

and is completely covered with

what seem to be light organs,

But whose exact function is unknown.

It's a remarkable contortionist,

presenting to its enemies

a ball of spikes.

The spikes are soft however and

probably are used only for detection.

As varied and mysterious as they are,

squid are short-lived,

fast-growing and very prolific.

Shallow water species gather

in huge numbers to breed.

These tentacled couplings

are anything but random -

as males compete savagely

for females.

Many die naturally soon after mating...

if they don't fall victim to the

countless predators that pursue them.

Squid are among the most numerous

free-swimming creatures in the sea,

and a crucial part of the oceanic

food chain.

Today, they support

a massive fishery.

Some two million metric tons of

squid are consumed annually,

much of it in Japan and the Far East.

Small squid are the most

popular sushi.

But everyone has heard

about the giant squid -

and it's gotten to be like

the "Jolly Green Giant"

for Japanese consumers.

"Hungry? - Nissin Seafood Noodle."

Mexico's Sea of Cortez:

Every few years, squid of unusual

size and ferocity are reported here.

Clyde Roper has come to investigate.

The squid live in dark

underwater canyons.

They rise close to the surface

at night to feed.

They're called Dosidicus gigas -

or the Humboldt squid.

For safety, Roper will deploy

a protective shelter

where he can find refuge

if he needs to.

This time of year, Dosidicus still

have a few feet to grow.

But already, some are six feet

long and,

at times, they feed like starving

piranhas.

Roper has never seen Dosidicus

this big before,

but he's eager to have

the experience.

"They have, a, a, an incredible

reputation and, uh,

many of the fishermen say they

would rather

fall into a uh, into the water with,

uh, sharks

in a feeding frenzy rather than in

a, a feeding frenzy of Humboldt squid

because they have been known

to kill people

when they fall into the water

with them.

"There, here he comes.

"In fact, they are so aggressive

that they become, uh,

they become cannibalistic."

A hungry squid immediately

begins to feed on the one

that is hooked and defenseless.

Dosidicus often prey on one another -

one thing that could account for the

rapid growth of those survive.

Some might consider this an

experience to be avoided;

but big squid like the Humboldt

don't survive in captivity.

For Roper, the chance to see them in

the wild is a priceless opportunity.

Like smaller squid, Dosidicus shows

vivid flashes of color

when aroused or threatened.

Roper wants a close-up look-

not easy

when the object of study can

deploy two tentacles,

eight arms lined with powerful

suckers,

and a razor sharp beak.

And all this is concealed at times

by clouds of dense ink,

deployed by squid to confuse

their enemies.

Having a squid inside the shelter

was not part of the plan.

Roper tries to give it room to escape

but gets a sharp nip from the

departing squid anyway.

"Ech!"

Later, Roper feels bold enough

to venture out

and observe Dosidicus in open water.

It is as close as he has ever

come to seeing

what Architeuthis might be like

when feeding.

"At first, I was quite apprehensive.

Uh, it was a little scary.

But we were dealing with mostly

individuals.

They were not in a feeding frenzy,

so it, uh, it felt more comfortable.

"Oh, what a great animal.

I was impressed at how incredibly

powerful it is and how it swims...

Clyde Roper is not the first

scientist to be caught up

in the thrill of the hunt for big

squid.

"and to see the funnel so

expanded and,

and moving out so fast,

it was great."

In the nineteen sixties, in fishing

villages throughout Newfoundland,

curious posters appeared.

The reward for a giant squid was

the brainchild

of the late Frederick Aldrich.

An expert on mollusks, Dr. Aldrich

found himself in a region

where giant squid are a proud

part of local history.

Back in October 1873, Newfoundland

fishermen came upon a giant squid

The squid wrapped a tentacle

around their boat.

But one fisherman,

a 12-year-old boy,

quickly hacked the tentacle off,

and the monster retreated.

Only a month later,

Newfoundland fishermen hauled

up a giant squid 32 feet long.

This was the first complete specimen

ever examined by scientists.

And it was the first of many

giant squid stranded or caught

by Newfoundland fishermen.

But examining the dead was not enough

for Frederick Aldrich -

he went after a live one.

"Fred was really one of the first

people to actually want to go out

and try to find giant squid.

"I think Fred liked the mythology

and he liked the, the, the

giantness, the bigness of it all.

In 1989, Aldrich managed to mount

a deep sea expedition

to look for the giant squid.

It was an enterprise that has been

compared to parachuting at night

into an area of the United States

picked at random -

and hoping to see a grizzly bear.

But Aldrich was determined.

The sub descended a thousand feet

in an area

where giant squid have often

washed ashore.

It was literally a shot in the dark.

Bait attracted an array

of bottom fish.

For ten hours Aldrich watched

and waited,

but Architeuthis ignored

his invitation.

I am not disappointed.

The fact that I didn't see one

does not effect my understanding

of these animals whatsoever.

I never really held out much hope

that I would see one,

because, oh, Lord, the ocean is so

big and my ship so small.

The brief expedition ended and

Aldrich died a few years later.

As deep water technology

has improved,

there have been more

and more expeditions

that could encounter a giant squid.

Many new species have been observed.

And some have been seen that could

indeed be called monstrous.

This is the biggest shark ever seen

in the deep sea.

A pacific sleeper shark that turned

up in Japan's Suruga Bay.

Well over 23 feet in length,

it loomed so large the camera

couldn't see it all.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes