OceanDoctor » oceanographer http://www.oceandoctor.org Just another WordPress weblog Tue, 07 Sep 2010 13:22:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Just another WordPress weblog OceanDoctor no Just another WordPress weblog OceanDoctor » oceanographer http://www.oceandoctor.org/wp-content/plugins/powerpress/rss_default.jpg http://www.oceandoctor.org Attacked by the Giant Squid’s Cousins http://www.oceandoctor.org/attacked-by-the-giant-squids-cousins/ http://www.oceandoctor.org/attacked-by-the-giant-squids-cousins/#comments Fri, 10 Aug 2007 20:17:23 +0000 Ocean Doctor http://oceandoctor.org/?p=10 Attack of the Giant Squid's Cousins!It’s the fantasy of many a marine biologist and explorer. To catch a glimpse of the giant squid, alive, and in its natural habitat: The deep ocean. Giant squid have been scientifically documented at a size of up to an incredible 43 feet long based on specimens that have washed ashore. I’ve seen one such specimen at the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History. Laying there pickled and motionless in its sterile white display case, it was hard to imagine this animal rocketing about the dark depths, living up to its reputation as a formidable predator. During one of his talks when I first met oceanographer Bob Ballard, he compared trying to find the giant squid from a submersible to trying to find an F-15 jet racing by, on a mountain top, at night, in a driving rainstorm, with a flashlight. Yesterday I had second thoughts about looking for the giant squid when one of its cousins, less than 2% of its size, disabled my sub and aborted my dive as I was descending through 1,300 feet.

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