Giant Squid Photographed Alive!

Coolest Story of the Week
Wow! I wish I could find the whole film loop on the web! I have been a giant squid fan since I was a kid, and that is getting to be a long time ago! Between the Giant Squid (Architeuthis) and the Colossal Squid (Mesonychoteuthis), there are some really cool predators out there. Now that Architeuthis turns out to be a pretty aggressive predator, the argument will continue as to which one is the best candidate for a Ultimate Invertebrate. It is too bad there are no fresh-water squid (one reason – they lack the equivalent of red blood cells). I can see a great movie plotline where a giant squid invades the sewers of New York to feed on the alligators.

One interesting thing I noticed on the MSNBC story in the first hyperlink above - as part of the page there is a “Related Stories” link list, most of which are at least loosely related in the area of natural science (cheetahs, Kennewick Man, Australian anthropology). As of 10:15 AM Central, however, one of the “Related Stories” to the giant squid photographs is “Report: Jennifer Jason Leigh marries.” I am not sure of the connection, and I probably do not want to know. Most Americans, I am sure, find the culture of Hollywood to be far more alien and strange than that of any lost tribe the anthropologists are likely to come up with.