Giants of the deep
Alive, alive oho...
Giants of the deep
SeafarerS of old often came back telling stories about giant creatures emerging from the depth and wrapping their tentacles around ships. These stories, which undoubtedly grew in the telling, were based on the real-life Giant Squid which can grow to 13 metres, weight 900 kg and lives in depths of down to 1000 metres below the surface.
The fact that the Giant Squid has rarely been observed live adds to the mystery surrounding this strange creature. about a year ago the crew of a Japanese submarine managed to make a video record of the squid at a depth of 630 metres, but scientists still have a lot to learn about this animal.
Dr Louise allcock from the ryan Institute at NUI Galway was among a team of international scientists, led by PhD student, Inger Winkelmann from the Natural History Museum of Denmark, seeking to find out more about the Giant Squid from its genetic code. from this study of 43 squid remains from around the world the scientists have concluded that they are all genetically uniform, so belong to one species.
It is thought that the adults remain in fairly restricted areas, but the young drift with the currents, and on reaching deep water they dive down to begin the next life cycle. as yet, no one knows how long these creatures live or how quickly they grow.
After being attracted by bait this giant squid was captured off Tokyo in 2006. Photo, Tsunemi Kubodera, Japanese Science Museum. Right, a 19th century French paddle steamer hauling in a giant squid off Tenerife.
Alive, alive oho...
VISITorS going out for some fresh air on the way out to the Poolbeg lighthouse in Dublin were presented with a strange sight as thousands of cockles came to the surface. The great stretch of sand between Sandymount and the Half Moon swimming club was traditionally known as the Cockle Banks, but normally these bivalves stay hidden below the sandy surface, opening to filter-feed only when the tide comes in. for some reason the cockles recently failed to cover up, and thousands of them died.
Professor Jim Wilson from TCD’ s Zoology Department said that this was an unusual event, but was inclined to rule out pollution, anoxia or a plankton bloom. The most likely explanation, he suggested, is that the cockles were literally frozen out of it. Just before this mass die-back, conditions in this very exposed area were more extreme than usual, and it is highly likely that the cockles were not down deep enough to excape the frost.
Photographs: Marie-Claire Cleary.
SCIENCE SPIN Issue 58 Page 28