The giant squid, a deep sea tentacled monster, may no longer be able to play hide and see with the scientific community. A team of biologists are planning to track it down to its nest and capture it .. on celluloid
IN-A bid to crack the elusive ways of the
giant squid, the National Museum of
Natural History (NMNH) under the
Smithsonian Institution in Washington,
us, is mounting a giant expedition in the
south Pacific near New Zealand, to
study the creature in its natural habitat.
Marine biologists from New Zealand
are assisting the American team. Clyde
F E Roper, a leading squid expert from
NMNH defends the idea of investing a
whopping sum of us $5 million for the
purpose, by calling it "a relatively tiny
investment when one thinks of the
potential for knowledge and information generated, particularly since we
know so little about
their biology and
behaviour." The tentacled monsters and
their habitat have
remained shrouded
in mystery despite
innumerable expeditions to the deep.
Although squid
experts have tried
persistently, they
have so far been
unable to lay their
hands on a live specimen. They are
as yet unaware about how these
creatures swim, eat, rest, court and
mate. All this will remain a mystery till
biologists are able track them down to
their nest.
The giant squid is no ordinary being.
It has the distinction of holding a
number of world records. It is believed
to be the largest animal without a
backbone. Some specimens have measured 18-21 m in length. Its huge
eyes are the largest in the animal kingdom, sometimes the size of a dinner
plate. And its nerve fibres are so huge
that they were initially mistaken for
blood vessels.
But the fact remains that the monster
largely represents our ignorance of the
deep. Experts have so far mainly
depended on the specimens captured
by fisherfolk for their knowledge.
Invariably, the animals retrieved
from overwhelmingly full fishing
nets are found squashed and battered
to death. What is now expected to
guide Roper and his team to the
squids' den is the food chain. Findings
have revealed that giant squids feed
on certain types of deep sea fish. Squids
in turn are eaten by sperm whales.
The NMNH team intends tracking
squids by following the fauna from
both ends of the food chain, hoping
that they could zero in on them
somewhere in the middle.
Some experts are not very enthusiastic about meeting this boneless
leviathan in its home ground. What
puts them off are the ten large tentacles
lined with sucker pads. Ellen C Forch,
a fisheries biologist from New Zealand
says, "I have a lot of respect for
these animals", but she prefers to
keep her distance and will be part of
the monitoring team operating aboard
a ship.
The team of scientists initially plan to
send a robot down for an inspection Of
the area. The group will then follow in a submersible called Johnson Sea-link operated by the Harbour Branch
Oceanographic Institution in Fort
Pierce, Florida, us. The Johnson Sea-link
- a large acrylic sphere designed to
provide maximum visibility - will
carry four people to a depth of 1,000 m,
where the creature is supposed to live.
Aided by the submersible's robotic
arms, lights and video cameras, the pursuit of the creature might rival a scene
from a thrilling science-fiction movie
and the best of all, it would be fact and
not fiction. Says Roper, "If we find and
film one (giant squid), it would be
absolutely spectacular. Even a few minutes of filming would give us a lot of
information."
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