The Humboldt squid is a mysterious giant of the deep sea. Giant squid - photo, description and video Habitat of huge mollusks

Architeuthis...Have you heard of this name that identifies a marine inhabitant, namely the giant squid? This sea creature has been scaring people for centuries. We are talking about a deep-sea squid that belongs to the Architeuthidae family. Thousands of researchers are hunting for his photo.

It is not surprising that scientists from all over the world are putting a lot of effort into studying such amazing individuals. The first photographs of Architeuthis were taken in 2004. Then the researchers photographed a living squid in its usual environment. The photo shows squid of incredible size. The first video was filmed two years later, in 2006. The filming was carried out by the same researchers who took the photographs. Scientists observed whales and took photos and videos of a real architeuthis.

The incredibly large squid is found in many of the oceans that exist on our planet. Most often, Architeuthis is found near the British Isles, Newfoundland, Norway, and South Africa. There are huge squids, the largest ones also near the Japanese islands, Australia, and New Zealand. Architeuthis is much less common in polar zones and tropical latitudes.

These squids love depths of 300 meters or more. They are also found at a depth of 1000 meters. Again, all conclusions are drawn from studying the behavior of sperm whales.

Giant squid: what does it eat?

The largest squid goes out hunting only alone. It feeds on mollusks and fish that live at great depths. The squid uses its tentacle to catch prey. Having captured the prey with its suckers, it brings it to its beak and eats it, eats it, having previously crushed it into pieces using its tongue with teeth. This is how the esophagus is replenished with new food.

In different parts of the world, fishermen often caught architeuthis in their fishing nets, but since such squid swam alone, they could not catch more than one individual at a time, which once again confirms the fact that squids prefer an isolated life.

Are you wondering who can hunt architeuthis - the largest, giant squids? Scientists note that currently there is only one animal capable of encroaching on the life of Architeuthis. We are talking about a sperm whale. In some cases, squids can be hunted by sharks and pilot whales that live in the depths. Many large fish also feed on young giant squid, but when Architeuthis reaches an impressive size, everyone begins to fear it.

Scientists can only observe the natural enemies of the giant squid - sperm whales - in order to properly study the architeuthis.

It's no secret that giant squids are shocking in size. In general, a squid was recorded whose length was 16.5 meters. It can be emphasized that the giant squid is the largest invertebrate.

What is noteworthy is that the mantle of females is an order of magnitude larger than that of males. The average length of the mantle is 2.5 meters. Impressive parameters. Do you agree? The photo with squid cannot help but shock.

Giant squid: features of its anatomy

Studying giant squids is a fascinating and dangerous activity. You need to clearly understand that the giant squid, like any other, has a mantle, 8 tentacles called “arms” and 2 hunting tentacles. Most of the length of Architeuthis is made up of tentacles. Does anyone have larger tentacles? Absolutely not. Among the cephalopods known to mankind, the squid has the largest tentacles.

In size, such a squid can exceed the sperm whale. As you know, the sperm whale is the main enemy of Architeuthis. But if the sperm whale has mass, the squid is light in weight due to its tentacles. Scientists discovered individuals that weighed about several hundred kilograms. Are architeuthis found with even greater weight? This question remains open, since not all of the depths of the ocean have been explored. And not everywhere, it is not always possible to take photographs.

But let’s return to the physiological characteristics of the squid, which is the largest inhabitant of the seas and oceans among mollusks. As everyone knows, squid tentacles have many hemispherical suction cups. These suction cups can be of different diameters: from 2 to 6 centimeters. Why are such suction cups on the tentacles needed? Firstly, with their help, squids capture prey. Secondly, they use them to restrain the victim. Often the heads of sperm whales are decorated with round scars, just like those left after an attack by the largest squid. It’s scary to imagine what will happen to a person if he falls into the arms of the tentacles. But similar cases have already happened. And it is possible that they will.

The tentacles of Architeuthis are divided into 3 sections, which are called “hands”, “wrist”, “fingers”. The suckers are located especially densely in the 2nd area, there are more than six rows of them. Towards the end of the tentacles there are “brushes”. They are wider than the wrists. It has much fewer rows of suckers, only two, but they are significantly larger.

In the very center of the circle in which the mollusk’s tentacles are located, there is a beak that resembles the beak of a bird (parrot).

Squid have fins. Their size is quite small, but it is enough for movement. The fins are located behind the mantle. Interestingly, Architeuthis often uses a jet mode of locomotion (it is characteristic of all cephalopods). It all happens something like this: such a squid sucks water into the mantle and releases it through a siphon. Is Architeuthis capable of moving very quickly? Of course, if there is a need for it.

The most complex part of the giant squid's body is the brain. It is this that scientists study especially closely. As for the nervous system of Architeuthis, it should be noted that it is considered highly organized.

A remarkable feature of Architeuthis is that it has the largest eyes: about 27 centimeters, and the pupil is about 9 centimeters. There is no other living organism that could boast such huge eyes. Thanks to them, Architeuthis easily detects the slightest bioluminescent glow of underwater organisms. Can Architeuthis see colors? It remains a mystery. But the fact that the sea creature picks up the differences in gray shades is a fact. And this ability is especially important at depth, in poor lighting conditions.

Giant squids have what is called zero buoyancy. Squid bodies contain ammonium chloride. For the same reason, the meat of such squid is not valuable for people. Are you wondering how fish float on water? They have a swim bladder containing gas and no ammonium chloride in their body, which is why people happily eat many fish.

Like all cephalopods, Architeuthis has statocysts - special organs that allow the huge squid to successfully navigate in the water. Interesting fact: statocysts contain statoliths. From these organs you can determine how old the squid is. They are often compared to the rings on a tree trunk. These rings have already “told” scientists a lot about Architeuthis. Many facts that are reflected in scientific research were obtained from the abdominal cavity of sperm whales, which swallowed the largest squid. The beaks of Architeuthis are not digested in the stomach; a lot of information can be obtained with their help. By the way, the beaks of small squids are also indigestible, so they must be removed before cooking.

It is not surprising that Architeuthis is attracting so much interest. Scientists began studying the giant “bogeyman” back in 1856. It's a pity that there are no photos from those times.

Large squid (Architheuthis): its impressive size

As noted earlier, giant squids are the largest mollusks among all living invertebrates that live in the seas and oceans in our time. Only nemerteans are longer. But earlier, several hundred years ago, there were cephalopods, the size of which was an order of magnitude larger, but they were already extinct.

People, in fear of the monster, often exaggerated the actual size of the squid. Today, in many places you can find evidence that the oceans are inhabited by individuals whose length reaches 20 meters or more. But, unfortunately, scientists do not have confirmation of this information, just as there are no photographs confirming this fact. Therefore, we are left to live in guesses about who and what inhabits the depths of the sea. But the existing photographs of giant squids attacking sperm whales are truly impressive.

To date, more than 130 species of squid have been studied. The results of the research, as well as photographs, allow us to conclude that Architeuthis is the largest squid in existence. According to recent studies, the longest length of the mantle of Architeuthis is 22.25 meters. When this squid died, the body relaxed and its length was 16.5 meters. The largest weight of Architeuthis was 275 and 150 kilograms for females and males, respectively.

Giant squid: breeding features

Very little is known about how the largest squid reproduces. There is an assumption that at the age of 3 years Architeuthis becomes sexually mature. Moreover, females are significantly larger in size than males. Females lay many eggs ranging in size from 0.5 mm. up to 1.4 mm. (length) and from 0.3 mm. Up to 0.7 mm. (width). During the mating process, a grasping penis extends from the mantle of the male squid, releasing spermatophores (they take part in the fertilization of the female). The long penis can reach 90 centimeters. How the sperm gets to the eggs is not yet known.

Serious research was carried out on the coast of New Zealand, where juveniles of Architeuthis were studied. Currently, scientists have decided to use a special aquarium to study the giant squid, so they can conduct more extensive and detailed research.

Very often one could hear from scientists, researchers, and sailors that they saw huge tentacles crawling out of the whale’s mouth. It was a large squid trying to get out of the sperm whale's stomach.

Since ancient times, myths have circulated among people about giant monsters from the abyss, thirsting for the blood and flesh of sailor travelers. The uncharted depths of the ocean, which could not be conquered then, were the object and main reason for inventions, fairy tales and terrible fables concerning its mysterious inhabitants. It is worth saying that even today no one can say for sure that the planet’s water space, the so-called abyss, has been fully studied. Ancient records tell how monsters with huge tentacles from the depths of the sea attacked ships and galleys, carrying them into the abyss. Those who managed to stay alive after the attack very often embellished their stories about unprecedented creatures, attributing fictitious abilities to the monsters and distorting their appearance. Due to all the above-mentioned factors, it was almost impossible to determine who exactly the wanderers met with.

Today the situation has changed somewhat, and mankind has learned a lot about some unusual inhabitants of the seas and oceans. In the article we would like to talk about the largest squid in the world, namely, talk about their distinctive features, the characteristic features of the species and provide interesting and reliable facts about the huge sea monsters.

Habitat of huge mollusks

It is known for certain that there are giant squids on earth that live in the depths of the waters of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans. Also, these cephalopods can live in seas, both warm and cold. People have more than once managed to catch individuals that could be called the largest squid in the world. Sometimes it even happened that the giant was cut down by the ship's propellers when he tried to attack. However, when such events took place for the first time, humanity did not have the necessary equipment to study the characteristics of the captured animal. Modern technologies make it possible to thoroughly examine these living creatures and provide complete information about them.

Giant Architeuthis and the first mention of it

One of the largest inhabitants of the ocean depths is considered to be the giant squid, or Architeuthis, as it is called in scientific books. Individuals of this species prefer to be in temperate and subtropical latitudes of all 4 oceans. Giant squids live at a depth of several kilometers and only sometimes swim to the surface. The first mention of architeuthis occurs at the end of the 19th century. During another sea voyage in 1887, which took place near the coast of New Zealand, sailors discovered a strange and frightening creature. It was not difficult to notice, because the storm waves simply washed the huge mollusk onto land. According to the data that the expedition was able to obtain on the spot, the size of the unusual find was amazing. The length of the monster's body reached incredible dimensions - 17.5 meters, and 5 of them were only tentacles. The mantle of an adult individual was also by no means small - about 2 meters. Unfortunately, it was not possible to establish the exact weight of the sea monster at that time, but judging by the given parameters, it was quite large.

A successful attempt to explore a huge inhabitant of the depths

The next specimen, called one of the largest squids in the world, was discovered in Antarctica 120 years after the first mention of the sea monster. In 2007, fishermen caught a deep-sea inhabitant whose body reached 9 meters in length. Then the weight of the find was easy to establish, because fishing tankers currently have all the necessary equipment for weighing the catch directly on board. The giant squid surprised the crew with its size, as its mass was just over 500 kilograms.

The terrifying Mesonychoteuthis

It is now known for certain that Architeuthis is far from the only species of inhabitants of the depths that frighten humanity with its size. Since time immemorial, there has been another representative of giant monsters of the cephalopod species on earth - mesonychoteuthis. This giant squid monster is considered one of the largest in modern times. It can be called a close relative of Architeuthis, only it is much more majestic. Mesonychoteuthis is the only representative of its genus, because, unlike Architeuthis, its weight is somewhat larger: the mantle of adult individuals alone reaches a mind-boggling size - its length is equal to four meters. By the way, another name for a giant is colossal.

The contents of the sperm whale's stomach, which revealed new facts to science

The first records of Mesonychoteuthys were made in the early 19th century. British zoologist Robson examined tentacles taken from the stomach of a sperm whale caught on the southern islands of Scotland and came to the conclusion that they could only belong to the aforementioned sea giant. Subsequently, for many years, no information regarding cephalopod monster squids was reported.

Great luck for scientists

A significant period of time after Robson’s study of the tentacles of the sea monster, scientists discovered 4 eggs in the far Atlantic, presumably left by mollusks. Having studied their composition and origin, they came to the conclusion that the eggs actually belonged to a female squid of a rare species, mesonychoteuthis. Scientific data appeared in 1970, that is, almost 50 years after Robson’s first experiment. The characteristics and features of the surviving masonry were carefully studied by experienced specialists of the time. And 9 years after the research work, it was possible to catch an adult specimen of mesonychoteuthis. Her mantle measured 117 cm in length, and she was the largest female squid in the world.

Bloodthirsty and terrible kraken: fiction or reality?

There are legends about giant squids, whose history goes back to the distant past. Ancient sailors told tales about sea monsters that attacked ships, engulfed them with their tentacles and carried away all living things to the seabed. These mythical creatures at that time were nicknamed krakens. Until the end of the 16th century they were considered fictitious. However, after a while, humanity was convinced of the opposite, because the kraken washed up on the shores of Western Ireland was first found and subsequently presented as an exhibit in the Dublin Museum. By the way, the kraken is the largest squid in the world that science knows today.

Distinctive features of the kraken

The giant mollusk differs from other ocean inhabitants by its head, which has a cylindrical shape, on which is located something resembling a bird’s beak. It is with this that he captures and grinds prey. The eyes of the kraken are considered the largest in comparison with the organs of vision of all other animals living on planet Earth. Their diameter is 25 cm. The color of the creature changes depending on its mood: from dark green to blood red. The largest squid in the world and its peculiarity in the form of a spike-shaped tongue, with which the mollusk pushes prey into the stomach, instills fear even in experienced sailors.

Giants attack people

It is worth noting that the captain of a Norwegian fishing tanker, Arne Grönningseter, recently told the public an amazing story about a huge kraken. According to him, giants pose an incredible danger to people who devote their lives to fishing, or simply those who like to be at sea. The fact is that his ship Brunswick was attacked several times by the aforementioned monster. The captain spoke about the tactics that the mollusk chooses for attack: it first floats to the surface of the water from the abyss, then accompanies the ship for a short time, as if waiting for a certain moment, and then with lightning speed it emerges from the water and pounces on the ship. Only due to the fact that the tentacles of the cephalopod monster could not catch on the surface of the deck and the hull of the ship, the crew managed to escape and remain unharmed in the unequal battle.

Fixed values

If we talk about specific figures that relate to the dimensions of huge underwater inhabitants, and answer the question about the size of the largest squid in the world (their body length), then we should disappoint seekers of such information. To this day, science has not established any specific values. Experts only suggest that the body length of cephalopods that live in the waters of the World Ocean and prefer its very bottom can exceed 50 meters.

Interesting facts about giant squids

There are several fascinating and real facts about the life of the huge and frightening inhabitants of the depths. We will list only the most interesting of them:

1. Currently, a mammal is known that can attack one of the largest squids in the world (its name is Architeuthis) - the sperm whale. In the old days and to this day, real fights took place between opponents, in which, as a rule, the sperm whale won. It was thanks to the contents of the mammal’s stomach that science was able to establish the very fact of the existence of a deep-sea giant.
2. The first photos of an adult giant squid were taken in Japan. An overgrown mollusk was found on the surface of ocean waters and pulled ashore. It was not possible to keep the exclusive inhabitant of marine fauna alive. The squid died within 24 hours of being removed from the water. Today, the remains of this creature are kept in the Japanese Museum of Nature and Science.
3. The “buoyancy” of the largest squid in the world, the size of which is truly amazing, is due to the content of an aluminum chloride solution in their body, which has a lower density than sea water. Because of this property, which distinguishes it from other marine life that has an air bubble, the deep-sea giant squid is unsuitable for human food.
4. The age of squids is determined by their beak.
5. Unlike other deep-sea inhabitants, the brain and nervous system of squids are unusually developed and still remain a mystery and a subject of research for scientists and specialists in this field.
6. Despite their impressive size, giant squids can remain invisible to their prey. This is evidenced by the imprints of suckers on the bodies of whales exposed to attacks by these monsters. Scientists have proven that architeuthis, mesonychoteuthys and krakens lead a passive lifestyle. However, when hunting prey, they show activity and resourcefulness.
7. In anticipation of danger, the colossal squid releases a protective fluid that is fatal to humans and other sea creatures.
8. One suction cup, which is located directly on the tentacles of the giant squid, will hold about 20 liters of water.

Results

In conclusion, I would like to say that it doesn’t matter at all what the world’s largest squid looks like. The stories that sailors told about giant krakens go back to the distant past. Only facts remain - irrefutable, reliable. But here’s the paradox: some of them still remain a mystery to zoologists. Today, everyone knows only that giant squids are not a fiction, but a reality that is covered in a veil of mystery.

The story of how Captain Alexander visited the island of the Black Pearl and helped the pearl divers get rid of the sea Red Devil

The ship "Swift Sails" visited many harbors and ports of the Lost Islands archipelago. And wherever Captain Alexander visited, peace and tranquility reigned.
One day, the ship entered the bay of a small island, which was called the Island of Black Pearls.
– Are pearls black?
– Pearls are mined on the islands of this archipelago. Pearls grow inside the shells of a type of sea mollusk called oysters. Oysters with black shells live here, and pearls of pink, gray, dark lilac and black colors grow inside them. All of them are called black pearls.
– Why is only this island called the Island of Black Pearls?
- Because there were the most black oysters here, and the inhabitants of the island, skilled divers, mined the most pearls and exchanged them with the Europeans for tobacco, fabrics, weapons and gunpowder. However, let's continue.
When the ship entered the bay, men and women swam from both sides of the bay, screaming and laughing. They were all excellent swimmers. Men pushed bundles of coconuts and bananas intended for exchange through the water, and women with wreaths of flowers on their heads dreamed of meeting the European crew, dancing and laughing. They instantly climbed onto the deck of the ship, turning it into an area for a noisy southern carnival.
Captain Alexander gave the command to lower the boat and asked the inhabitants to accompany him to a meeting with Manihi, the leader of the tribe, whom Alexander knew from previous visits to the island, and on the ship he left the Navigator in charge, instructing him to generously reward the inhabitants of the island and, after escorting them from the ship, to carry out the cleaning and restore exemplary order.
Manikhi greeted Alexander rather dryly. He did not wear the festive clothes and feather helmet appropriate for receiving guests. His black hair, curly in small ringlets, not held by a headband or helmet, formed something like a large ball around his head. The beard was shaved only on the cheeks and cut short, and this was the only adornment of his head. In his hand he held a battle spear made of ebony.
Manihi answered questions in monosyllables and did not even offer to smoke a pipe, which he usually did like a hospitable host.
– What problems, Manihi? I see something has happened. We are friends. Share with me, tell me what upset you so much,” said Alexander.
Manihi sighed, his face motionless. He looked at Alexander with an unkind look and did not say a word.
The people surrounding Manihi spoke about what the leader knows, but most of the inhabitants of the island of Black Pearl do not yet know. This morning, as usual, pearl divers took their boats to the most pearl-rich areas of the lagoon. In the midst of collecting shells, a very large squid rose from the depths. With two of the longest tentacles with suction cups and sharp hooks on them, he grabbed the diver who was closest to him at that moment. The diver fought back as best he could, but the squid pulled him towards him and captured him with eight shorter tentacles.
Other divers jumped to the surface. Realizing what was happening, several warriors who were in the boats grabbed combat spears and, holding the stones with their feet, quickly went down to the bottom and tried to attack the squid, hitting it with these long spears. The squid threw out a powerful stream of water from under its belly and, releasing the diver, like a torpedo, rushed backwards into the depths of the lagoon.
- How does he swim, releasing a stream, backwards?
– The back of the squid’s body is pointed for rapid movement. The torso is wrapped in a cloak of powerful muscles, which is called a mantle. Under the belly, the mantle joins together to form a cavity for water to enter. When the squid contracts its mantle muscles, all water outlets under the mantle are closed. All that remains is a hole in the front under the head, called the nozzle. During compression of the mantle muscles, water is thrown forward through the nozzle at tremendous speed, and the squid, like a jet plane, flies away, only backwards. The squid rushes at such a speed that it can jump out of the water and, at a height of several meters, fly fifteen or even twenty meters above the water.
“How does he manage to clench his muscles so tightly that he accelerates like a jet plane?”
– His muscles contract so tightly because they work at the same time. This is due to the fact that the nerve fibers that make the muscles work are ten times thicker than in humans.
- Great!
– Did you manage to save the unfortunate diver? – asked Captain Alexander.
This time Manihi answered him:
“The warriors lifted the diver into the boat and took him to the shore. But after the attack he is in very serious condition.
– Did you manage to overtake the predator?
“My boat warriors circled the lagoon all day and sank to the bottom to meet the squid, but where to find it? – the lagoon is more than a hundred boats wide and more than three hundred boats long. Everything was useless!
– Maybe the squid will no longer attack divers, because it feeds on fish and other smaller squid?
– These large squids are very cruel and bloodthirsty. No one knows what is going on in their heads, because, despite their size, their brain is like that of a small bird. Divers refuse to go out to sea, but black pearls are our main source of income.
“Let your warriors tell me what this squid looks like,” said Captain Alexander.
After listening to the soldiers’ story, Captain Alexander said:
– You reassured me a little when you said that the squid turns red when attacked. At first I thought it was a giant squid. It's so big that even Moby Dick couldn't handle it. But the giant squid is white. This squid of yours is probably a Humboldt squid. He is, of course, smaller - he is unlikely to be more than six or seven meters. But nothing good can be expected from him either. He's very fast. He moves like lightning. He attacks everything he encounters: small fish, large fish, even ones twice his size, his fellow squids, and even his own girlfriend after a love encounter. For its red color and special ferocity, it is called the “Red Devil”.
- Why is he a Humboldt squid?
– Humboldt was a very famous traveler and scientist. He discovered new lands, islands, and currents in the ocean. He discovered many previously unknown animals and plants named after him, just like this ferocious squid.
– Can a squid cause harm - it has soft tentacles?
– Its tentacles are soft, but their suction cups have very sharp hooks with which it holds its prey. And near his mouth there is a beak, shaped like a parrot's, but very large and sharp, like a razor. When fishermen catch a squid on a hook, it rages and gnaws the iron cable to which the hook is attached. Shall we continue?
- Let's continue!
“You calmed me down a little,” Alexander repeated.
- Oh, how calm you are, Captain Alexander. This is because tomorrow you will lift the anchors, go to sea and forget about us. And we will remain here, on this small island, alone with the elusive monster.
- Don't worry, Manihi! Captain Alexander does not abandon his friends in trouble. Call your leaders. Together we will think about how to drive away this “Red Devil”. Although the squid doesn’t have much brains, if it receives a good rebuff, it will remember for a long time that it no longer needs to visit your lagoon.
-What is a lagoon?
– There are islands that were formed at the site where a large volcano sank into the water. These islands, called atolls, are actually a chain of small islands arranged in a ring around the mouth of a former volcano. The coral reefs connecting these islands form a narrow ring, the inner bay of which is called a lagoon.
Captain Alexander discussed the plan of action with the leaders for a long time, and then asked:
- Tell me, Manihi, from which side could the Red Devil get into the lagoon?
– There is only one deep channel, Tairapa, to enter the lagoon. Its depth is fifteen or twenty copies. Your ship “Swift Sails” entered the bay through this strait.
“We will drive the Red Devil into this strait.”
The leaders really wanted to catch and destroy the Red Devil. And Captain Alexander convinced them not to do this.
Squids are amazing animals. They are very different from other animals and fish. Thanks to their large eyes, they see in almost complete darkness at depths of up to a kilometer or more. To search for food, they can additionally illuminate the bottom with special luminous elements of their skin. With sudden flashes of light they can blind their prey.
Squids are very healthy. They are the orderlies of the sea. Squids search for and eat all the waste of animals and plants, as well as dead fish and animals. They eat all the time and become so huge in two to three years. Small squid are an excellent food for many healthy fish: swordfish, marlin, sailfish, tuna. The lifespan of squids is very short. Growing up, they find a mate and after the offspring appear, both squids die. Their life is very short.
“We won’t kill this squid, but we will give it such heat that it will forever forget where the entrance to the bay of the Black Pearl Island is,” Captain Alexander promised.
The natives listened carefully to the captain and agreed. The hunt was scheduled for the next morning. The hunting location was a narrow, deep underwater gorge in a coral reef, which had only one exit. The gorge was very long, and it was possible to get out of it only through the strait connecting the lagoon with the sea.
They decided to use a small shark as bait. Captain Alexander showed how you can catch a shark without harming it. Between the two canoes a large rope loop was lowered into the water and a float with a hook on which was a piece of meat was placed next to it. Soon, sensing meat, a shark appeared. Captain Alexander placed a float with meat in the water so that there was a rope loop between the float with meat and the shark. The shark slowly moved towards the float, not noticing the loop, and Alexander gently moved the float away from the shark’s head so that it, continuing its movement, would enter its head into the loop. Great care was required: one careless movement - and the shark could make a throw and grab the float along with the captain's hand.
But the captain was completely calm and did nothing to frighten off the dangerous predator. And now the shark’s head had already completely entered the noose, and when the noose was at the level of the shark’s gill slits, the warriors in the two canoes, at Alexander’s command, sharply pulled the ropes on both sides and tightened the noose. The shark was caught. They threw a large net over the predator and, tying stones, lowered the net with the shark to the bottom.
Now all that was left was to wait. And then the squid appeared. He wasn't afraid of anything. He approached slowly, moving his tail fins, examining the shark, which had nowhere to go because of the mesh holding it in place. The warriors saw the squid's eyes. One of them was much larger than the other and reached twenty-five centimeters. It was a terrible monster. When the squid approached the shark, several warriors with spears jumped from the boats into the water, holding heavy stones with their feet, sank to the bottom and suddenly hit the squid in the head and torso.
The squid, not expecting the attack, released an ink cloud. The hunters lost sight of it, and the squid, under a curtain of ink, swam along the gorge.
Further along the gorge, closer to the sea, several more boats with soldiers were placed. From above they saw a large red shadow moving along the bottom, and when the squid caught up with the boats, the warriors jumped into the water and, descending, struck several blows at the squid from above.
The squid “turned on” its jet engine and moved towards the exit. But along the way he was attacked again and again by warriors. And so, when the gorge ended, and it seemed to the squid that he had escaped the chase, at the exit he was attacked by the largest group of hunters. They surrounded him with a ring and did not allow him to break free. The squid began to weaken, and the hunters parted. The squid released an ink stain and disappeared into the depths of the sea. The lagoon was clear.
The natives, their leaders, and Captain Alexander celebrated the victory. Captain Alexander and his team were presented with the fruits of the forest and the sea. The natives beat large drums and their women danced and sang.
Manihi was dressed festively: on his head was a helmet decorated with bird feathers, on his shoulders and hips was a cape and a bandage made of tapa with a bright, intricate pattern; The human hair breastplate is decorated with shark teeth and black pearls. In his hands he held a club and a smoking pipe made of hard wood, covered with elaborate carvings.
For the first time in recent days, Manihi smiled. It turned out that he did not have a stern face at all, but a very good-natured face.
– What did you do with the caught shark? – asked Captain Alexander.
- We let her go. We know that our friend, Captain Alexander, does not like it when animals and fish are killed, and we did this out of respect for you.
- This is right. The sea loves its inhabitants, and it gives its untold riches to those who do not harm them.
Before returning to the ship, Captain Alexander and his friends had a long conversation with Manihi and other leaders and, in parting, smoked a pipe of peace.
This is where the story of how Captain Alexander helped the black pearl fishermen get rid of the Red Devil of the sea ends.

In March 2011, a school of giant squid capsized a fishing boat in the Sea of ​​Cortez and killed seven fishermen. Hundreds of people vacationing on a Mexican beach in the resort town of Loreto were eyewitnesses. A terrible tragedy unfolded before their eyes. The 12-meter ship was traveling parallel to the beach, heading to the port, when dozens of thick and slimy tentacles stretched out of the water towards the sides. They grabbed the fishermen and dragged them to the bottom, and then strongly rocked the ship itself and capsized it. “I saw four or five bodies washed ashore by the surf. Their bodies were almost completely covered with blue spots - from the suckers of sea monsters, Timmy Irwin, a surfer from San Francisco, told reporters. - One was still alive. But he hardly resembled a person. The squid literally chewed him up!” Marine biologist Dr. Luis Santiago from the Autonomous University of Baja California Sur, who participated in the investigation of the bloody incident, told local media: “Having gone immediately after the tragedy to the capsized longboat, we managed to capture one of the attacking shellfish using a clever trap. It turned out to be a female carnivorous Humboldt squid (Dosidicus gigas). Its weight was 45 kg, and its length without tentacles was 2 meters. (The tentacles themselves “stretched” 6 meters.) We believe that most of the flock consisted of females. We also believe that they deliberately attacked the fishermen and coordinated their actions. I’m afraid that in the coming years there will be more and more such attacks, since fish stocks in the “hunting grounds” of squid are catastrophically declining.” Locals who call the giant squid "diablos roios" - red devils - agree with Luis Santiago. According to them, shellfish have become more aggressive in recent years. By the way, a year earlier, massive attacks by giant carnivorous Humboldt squid on people were recorded on the California coast near the city of San Diego. Hundreds of sea monsters at least two meters long, with razor-sharp beaks with which they can easily tear a piece out of a person’s body, and jagged tentacles, attacked scuba divers and divers, whom the water then washed ashore already dead. Some surviving divers claimed that the squid's tentacles wrapped around their masks, cameras and equipment, and they barely managed to swim away from them. In particular, according to diver Shanda McGill, the rust-colored animal snatched her swimming apparatus and flashlight and grabbed her with its tentacles. “I was kicking like crazy,” Shanda Magill admitted. “The first thing you think is, God, I don’t know if I’ll survive.” This squid could easily hurt me if it wanted to.” Veteran Californian divers compared encountering giant squid to entering a cage with lions. Scientists estimate that at least a thousand squids were located off the California coast during the year at a depth of 120-300 meters, and divers noticed them when they had already risen to a depth of 25-40 meters.

FANTASTIC REALITY

These inhabitants of the depths of the sea are so elusive and secretive that until recently, human encounters with them were quite rare. In medieval legends they appear as monsters that attack sailors and sink ships. Sometimes they wash up on the shore, and even less often they end up in fishing nets. In literary works, giant squids are immortalized under the name “krakens.” The squid can reach the size of an average sperm whale and quite often enters into mortal combat with it, emerging victorious. Thus, in January 2011, an eleven-meter carcass of a sperm whale weighing about 15 tons was washed up by waves on the shore of Bering Island, located 200 km from Kamchatka. According to experts, the whale died from mortal wounds inflicted on it by an equally giant kraken. Most squids have luminescent organs. The light is produced by a chemical reaction similar to the one that creates the “cold” glow of fireflies. The squid's beak is very strong, and its eyes are similar to those of humans. It has ten tentacles: eight regular ones and two, which are much longer than the others, with something like suction cups at the ends. However, not only their size, but also their enormous speed makes these cephalopods quite dangerous marine predators. Having drawn water into the body cavity, the squid forcefully throws out a stream through a funnel-shaped channel and rushes forward like a rocket. This “jet” engine allows the squid to reach speeds of up to 70 km per hour. In addition, he is capable of jumping out of the water to a height of up to 10 meters! Until the second half of the 19th century, scientists generally doubted the existence of giant squids, and the stories of sailors about encounters with this mollusk were considered the fruit of their unbridled imagination. The turning point in scientific consciousness came on October 26, 1873. On this day, fishermen cast their nets in one of the bays of Newfoundland. Seeing some huge mass floating on the surface, they decided that perhaps it was the wreckage of a ship after a shipwreck. One of the fishermen, approaching an unknown object, hit it with a hook. Suddenly the “object” came to life, reared up, and people saw that they had stumbled upon a kraken

The monster's long tentacles wrapped around the boat. At the same time, the squid began to dive under water. One of the fishermen was not at a loss and cut off the monster’s tentacle with a knife. The Kraken released ink, coloring the water around it, and disappeared into the depths. The fishermen gave the tentacle to local naturalist Harvey. Thus, for the first time, a part of the body of the hitherto mythical kraken, the existence of which had been fruitlessly debated all this time, fell into the hands of scientists. A month later, in the same area, fishermen managed to catch another giant squid in a net. This copy was also given to Harvey. The length of the monster was 10 meters. The eyes of another squid, which was found dead in shallow water off the New Zealand island of Island Bay, had almost 30 centimeters in diameter. Having cut its belly, the fishermen discovered that the mollusk had three hearts: one large and two smaller ones. During the life of the squid, they drove blood into twelve-meter tentacles, with the help of which the sea monster grabbed prey and then tore it into pieces with its jaws.

IN THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE AREA

The existence of giant squids exceeding 20 meters in length has not yet been documented, but Canadian biologist and oceanographer Frederick Aldrich is convinced that even 50-meter-long krakens can be hidden in great depths! The biologist proceeds from the fact that all the found dead specimens of the giant squid, 8-15 meters long, belong to young, weak individuals, with suckers of a small 5-cm diameter. Meanwhile, traces of suckers 20 cm in diameter were found on many harpooned whales. The English whaler and explorer Woollen once had a chance to observe a deadly fight in the Indian Ocean between a squid and a sperm whale. “At first it was like an underwater volcano erupting. Looking through binoculars, says Woollen, I was convinced that neither the volcano nor the earthquake had anything to do with what was happening in the ocean. But the forces at work there were so enormous that I can be excused for my first guess: a very large sperm whale was locked in mortal combat with a giant squid almost as big as itself. It seemed as if the endless tentacles of the mollusk had entangled the entire body of the enemy in a continuous net. Even next to the ominously black head of a sperm whale, the squid's head seemed such a terrible object that one would not always dream of it even in a nightmare. Huge and bulging eyes against the deathly pale background of the squid’s body made it look like a monstrous ghost.” Some researchers attribute some of the mysterious disappearances of small ships in the Bermuda Triangle to giant squids. At one time, within this anomalous zone, ichthyologists installed several powerful steel traps with bait at the bottom. Unfortunately or fortunately, it was not possible to catch any of the monsters, but the traps raised after some time from the bottom of the sea were terribly distorted, and the remains of skin and muscles were stuck between the rods. Experts calculated that the weight of the monsters that deformed the traps was at least three tons! The world-famous Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl told how, while traveling on the Kon-Tiki, he often observed the night “games” of unknown sea monsters, very similar to krakens, and one day green phosphorescent eyes, about 25 centimeters in diameter, looked at him from the depths . According to the scientist, the giant mollusks swam to the surface just to rest, without any hostile purposes. Otherwise, Heyerdahl would face inevitable death.

TANKER SURVIVED KRAKEN ATTACK

At one time, the Norwegian magazine Nature published a sensational report: the Brunswick tanker with a displacement of 15 thousand tons and a length of 150 meters between the Hawaiian Islands and Samoa was attacked by a giant squid. The ship's captain, Arne Grönningseter, reported that a huge cephalopod, more than 20 meters long, suddenly emerged from the depths and overtook the ship, which was traveling at a speed of 12 knots. Then he sailed for some time with the tanker on a parallel course at a distance of about 30 meters from the port side. Suddenly, the squid, having overtaken the ship, rushed to attack and grabbed the hull, striking it with strong blows with its beak. Trying to stay on the slippery metal surface of the tanker, the mollusk grabbed it with its tentacles, reaching a thickness of 20-25 cm in diameter. However, under the influence of the oncoming flow of water, it began to slide back to the stern and fell under the propeller, which mortally wounded the animal. Later, in the same area of ​​the Pacific Ocean, the Brunswick was attacked twice more by giant clams. According to Captain Grenningseter, the squids attacked the tanker, mistaking it for their enemy, the sperm whale. One of the last such incidents took place in January 2003, when French sailors who took part in the round-the-world race for the prize in memory of Jules Verne encountered a giant squid. According to yachtsman Olivier de Kersoisson, the cephalopod attached itself to the stern of their trimaran yacht Jerome nearby. from the Portuguese island of Madeira.

“At first, I looked out the window and saw a huge tentacle. It was thicker than my leg, and it was clear that the squid was pulling our yacht to the bottom with all its might,” he says.

According to the yachtsman, two more tentacles blocked the ship's rudder. But as soon as the yacht stopped, the squid immediately loosened its grip and after a while disappeared into the depths of the ocean.

“We had absolutely nothing to scare him off, why shouldn’t we go at him with penknives?! And I can’t even imagine what we would have done if the squid had been more aggressive,” Olivier recalled.

According to the captain of the French yacht, the length of the squid's body definitely exceeded 8 meters. “I've never seen anything like it. But I spent about forty years at sea,” said the yachtsman.

WOLVES OF THE SEA

But these predators are dangerous not only for sailors, fishermen and divers. They are very gluttonous. The Humboldt squid already mentioned above is found in large numbers off the west coast of South America. They are called the wolves of the sea, as they calmly deal with fish weighing 300 kilograms! The mollusks wrap their tentacles around the victim and, in a matter of seconds, strip all the meat from the skeleton. David Duncan, an employee of the American Museum of Natural History, during a recent expedition to the coasts of Peru and Chile, observed how huge dosidicus squids chewed steel fishing lines. And pierced by a spear, they gnaw at it with their beaks with such fury that only splinters fly.

Dosidicus hunt four-pound tunas and eat the giant fish clean.

After years of searching, in February 2007, fishermen were lucky enough to catch the first living giant squid, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, in the Ross Sea. This giant specimen weighed 494 kg, its length was ten meters, and its eye had a diameter of 30 cm! At the same time, his age, as scientists found out, was still very “infant.” To preserve the priceless find, scientists from the New Zealand National Museum placed the kraken in a 1200-liter container and then froze it for further research. Small clams, like dolphins, are easy to train. They have excellent memory. They distinguish between geometric shapes: a small square is distinguished from a larger one, a rectangle placed vertically from a rectangle placed horizontally, a circle from a square, a rhombus from a triangle.

Squids recognize people, get used to those who feed them, and if you spend enough time with them, they become tame.

With all this, it is known that the smaller the squid, the stronger its poison, which affects the central nervous system. Marine animals bitten by a squid - crabs, fish and other victims - immediately experience convulsions, and they can no longer resist. The same thing happens with a person.