Pictures of a mostly alive Architeuthis dux (Giant Squid)

The Giant Squid one of my favorite sea monsters. I've waited a long time to see one alive.

This url will connect you to a Japanese website that posts pictures of a mostly dead, but still alive Architeuthis dux.

If you click on the colored button you'll get more jpgs.

The triangular shaped eye is particularly unnerving. Apparantly the beastie ran afoul some long lines and washed ashore, additionally there is some theorizing on the nature of A. dux high ammonia content blood and it's ability to transport oxygen in warmer water, but my Japanese is horrible, so until some more proficient can translate, there it is.

www.pref.kyoto.jp...

enjoy,

hrxll

[Edited on 1-12-03 by HerExcellency]

Wow !! Great find !! These are great pics. Have you seen my thread about Architeuthis dux? www.abovetopsecret.com...
It's my theory, that a sub-species of Architeuthis dux, lives in Lake Van, Turkey.

Originally posted by darklanser
Wow !! Great find !! These are great pics. Have you seen my thread about Architeuthis dux? www.abovetopsecret.com...
It's my theory, that a sub-species of Architeuthis dux, lives in Lake Van, Turkey.

Darklanser,
I've always wanted to see one alive, still do. When I saw these pictures I was stunned.

No I haven't seen your post, I will look for it.

To my knowledge there aren't any freshwater cephalopods, but I will look into it for you.

Cheers,

hrxll

good find

I am off to read the other thread....

Giant Squids sure are neat creatures. Would love to see one in their natural habitat deep in the ocean. I am really amazed no-one has been able to do that as of yet.

Heres a couple of pics I found









130 Giant Squid Links

Originally posted by Dreamz
Giant Squids sure are neat creatures. Would love to see one in their natural habitat deep in the ocean. I am really amazed no-one has been able to do that as of yet.

They are the monster of my childhood dreams. (no pun intended Dreamz). I went diving in the Sea of Cortez (mexico) and got to see some Humbolt's squid up close and personal (they chased us out of the water, they are so aggressive..and man sized).

First A. dux I saw was as a child at an exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History.

Again, we know so little about them. We happen to net them so we know how deep they are, and thanks to recent work we know that they migrated vertically through the water column.

filming them is a amazing challenge because of where they live. It is believed that artifical light sources frighten them away. So filiming them with normal cameras is right out.

We've tried mounting cameras on their only know predator, the Sperm whale (little success, first couple of attempts got a couple of hours of other sperm whales "eyeballing" the camera up close, and when the whales actually dove the lack of light at the depths where the squid live made for unenthalling viewing.)

Dr. Clyde Roper of Scripps Institute and the Smithsonian is the leading scientist on A. dux. If anyone will be able to meet Architeuthis on its own turf it will be him.

hrxll

Nice pic. The eye looks strange though. Like it's photoshopped or something. May be it's just me.

wow, that's really neat. I agree, though. The eye does look strange. Very cool still.

Yeah, I wondered about the eye too. Sure that isn't an addition? If it is real then it is freaky looking.

The eye scares me more than anything else. Wonder what would happen with a big squid starring down a gray alien?

Originally posted by THENEO
Yeah, I wondered about the eye too. Sure that isn't an addition? If it is real then it is freaky looking.

The eye scares me more than anything else. Wonder what would happen with a big squid starring down a gray alien?

I've been around squids and octopus in their element some. Octopus are probably the second most intelligent thing in the water, ok maybe third. Their world is so different than our, their reality so alien. It would be like looking into a "grey's" eyes.

could the picture been altered, possibly. Alot of you out there know much more about digital picture manipulation than I do.

If you ever get the chance go to an aquarium or go diving and meet a cephalopod up close. It's be the closest thing akin to really meeting an alien.

hrxll

Herex,

good points will try to look for one next time I hit an aquarium.

Originally posted by JuanBond
Nice pic. The eye looks strange though. Like it's photoshopped or something. May be it's just me.

I think the reason it looks so strange is the light from the flash reflecting back at the camera, much like a persons pupil appears red in some photos or an animals eye "glow" when hit with a flashlight beam....the shape is what gives me the heebies

Awesome picture. Yeah, the eye does look photoshopped, but hey, the flash could've made it look strange.

I never thought about a camera flash, or the flashlight the one person is holding, causing a reflection in the eye, like a cats. These squid are from the deepest parts of the ocean, where they would need a method to catch all the sunlight they can.

That said, it doesn't seem to have any sort of pupil, it's just all iris. Even if a light was aimed squarely at its eye, it would still have an, albeit very small, pupil. If you already haven't, try this:

Step one - copy the pic to your computer
Step two - open the pic with the Image Preview program
Step three - keep zooming in over the eye

Do you not see what I don't see? A pupil. I still think the eye was added after the photo was taken.

Why?

This site might answer some questions..

www.bio.davidson.edu...

hrxll

Originally posted by HerExcellency

To my knowledge there aren't any freshwater cephalopods, but I will look into it for you.

Cheers,

hrxll

I am unsure if this lake is fresh water, also I am not sure if an octopus is considered a cephalopod, however when I saw this news article it reminded me of your post...

Illinois Fisherman Catches Octopus at Lake Conway

Mayflower (AP) - The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission says an Illinois fisherman caught a live octopus at Lake Conway.

John Mazurek of Glenn Ellyn, Illinois, caught the octopus on Monday when he saw it clinging to one of the gates at the lake's dam.

There is no explanation for how the octopus made it into the lake, but the commission said it is thought that the animal was kept in a home aquarium and when it grew too large someone dumped it into the lake.

Full Story

FIRST live one i've seen....thanks for the links.....

Originally posted by William One Sac

I am unsure if this lake is fresh water, also I am not sure if an octopus is considered a cephalopod, however when I saw this news article it reminded me of your post...

From Merriam-Webster online.

: any of a class (Cephalopoda) of marine mollusks including the squids, cuttlefishes, and octopuses that move by expelling water from a tubular siphon under the head and that have a group of muscular usually sucker-bearing arms around the front of the head, highly developed eyes, and usually a sac containing ink which is ejected for defense or concealment

which also clears up the Freshwater question...
(Marine Mollusk....)

hrxll

i dont no if anybody watches mtv wildboys, but last night they had 2 dead giant squids they looked at. although they werent that big it was still interesting.