At more than 13 feet long, the creature was probably just 2 years old, scientists say

Richard Davies, one of the people who captured footage of the stranded squid, says that the creature was still alive when he came across it. “It was sad because I could see it was dying,” Davies tells News24. “It was still pumping out ink and I touched one of its tentacles which sucked onto my hand and I actually had to use some force to remove it.”

The find is “rare,” Wayne Florence, curator of marine invertebrates for the Iziko Museums of South Africa, tells News24. “In South Africa, we have had less than a handful of strandings. Surprisingly, despite our museum being almost 200 years old, our earliest stranded giant squid specimen is from 1972.”

Michael Vecchione, an invertebrate zoologist at the NMNH, commends the Iziko Museum researchers for planning to study the squid’s DNA. “One long-standing question is how many species of giant squids there are.

Adult giant squids can grow as long as a school bus and have eyes that measure one foot in diameter—the largest eyes in the animal kingdom, per the NMNH. At nearly 14 feet long, this recently discovered specimen from South Africa was still quite young.

“Unlike most large animals, squid generally grow very quickly and only live for about five years. They have annual rings but these have to be dissected and also analysis of the beak can give an indication of age.”

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rare-giant-squid-washes-shores-south-african-beach-180975138/

PermeateFree said:

At more than 13 feet long, the creature was probably just 2 years old, scientists say

Richard Davies, one of the people who captured footage of the stranded squid, says that the creature was still alive when he came across it. “It was sad because I could see it was dying,” Davies tells News24. “It was still pumping out ink and I touched one of its tentacles which sucked onto my hand and I actually had to use some force to remove it.”

The find is “rare,” Wayne Florence, curator of marine invertebrates for the Iziko Museums of South Africa, tells News24. “In South Africa, we have had less than a handful of strandings. Surprisingly, despite our museum being almost 200 years old, our earliest stranded giant squid specimen is from 1972.”

Michael Vecchione, an invertebrate zoologist at the NMNH, commends the Iziko Museum researchers for planning to study the squid’s DNA. “One long-standing question is how many species of giant squids there are.

Adult giant squids can grow as long as a school bus and have eyes that measure one foot in diameter—the largest eyes in the animal kingdom, per the NMNH. At nearly 14 feet long, this recently discovered specimen from South Africa was still quite young.

“Unlike most large animals, squid generally grow very quickly and only live for about five years. They have annual rings but these have to be dissected and also analysis of the beak can give an indication of age.”

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rare-giant-squid-washes-shores-south-african-beach-180975138/

Are these the same squid that are thought to breed off New Zealand?

mollwollfumble said:

PermeateFree said:

At more than 13 feet long, the creature was probably just 2 years old, scientists say

Richard Davies, one of the people who captured footage of the stranded squid, says that the creature was still alive when he came across it. “It was sad because I could see it was dying,” Davies tells News24. “It was still pumping out ink and I touched one of its tentacles which sucked onto my hand and I actually had to use some force to remove it.”

The find is “rare,” Wayne Florence, curator of marine invertebrates for the Iziko Museums of South Africa, tells News24. “In South Africa, we have had less than a handful of strandings. Surprisingly, despite our museum being almost 200 years old, our earliest stranded giant squid specimen is from 1972.”

Michael Vecchione, an invertebrate zoologist at the NMNH, commends the Iziko Museum researchers for planning to study the squid’s DNA. “One long-standing question is how many species of giant squids there are.

Adult giant squids can grow as long as a school bus and have eyes that measure one foot in diameter—the largest eyes in the animal kingdom, per the NMNH. At nearly 14 feet long, this recently discovered specimen from South Africa was still quite young.

“Unlike most large animals, squid generally grow very quickly and only live for about five years. They have annual rings but these have to be dissected and also analysis of the beak can give an indication of age.”

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rare-giant-squid-washes-shores-south-african-beach-180975138/

Are these the same squid that are thought to breed off New Zealand?

Think the are still trying to determine whether one or more species by DNA testing.

> Unlike most large animals, squid generally grow very quickly and only live for about five years. They have annual rings but these have to be dissected and also analysis of the beak can give an indication of age.

This is really interesting. All three parts.

For example, very fast growth implies lots of food. ¿Where do they find it, given that in much of the deep ocean there is very little food.

mollwollfumble said:

> Unlike most large animals, squid generally grow very quickly and only live for about five years. They have annual rings but these have to be dissected and also analysis of the beak can give an indication of age.

This is really interesting. All three parts.

For example, very fast growth implies lots of food. ¿Where do they find it, given that in much of the deep ocean there is very little food.

Good question.

Note that the maximum weight is 250 kg.

mollwollfumble said:

> Unlike most large animals, squid generally grow very quickly and only live for about five years. They have annual rings but these have to be dissected and also analysis of the beak can give an indication of age.

This is really interesting. All three parts.

For example, very fast growth implies lots of food. ¿Where do they find it, given that in much of the deep ocean there is very little food.

>>Although scientists have not witnessed a giant squid feeding, they have cut open the stomachs of squids washed up on beaches to see what they had eaten recently. Giant squid mostly eat deep water fishes and other squids—including other giant squids. They also will attack schools of fish from below, quickly ascending into shallower waters to grab a meal before retreating to safer depths away from predators.<<

https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/invertebrates/giant-squid