Remember Jules Verne's "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea?" Over 400 giant squid as large as 60 pounds have been caught by fishermen off the coast of Newport Beach, CA. The Humboldt squid being caught off Orange County weigh between 20-30 pounds. Although a delicacy to some, giant squid will squirt ink all over the fishermen and the boat, making for a very messy catch. A modern day fish story?
Humboldt Squid, Giant Squid, Jumbo Squid, Giant Octopus and Other Sea Creatures
The LATimes said the giant squid "were first caught Thursday afternoon, and anglers began making twilight expeditions Friday night to catch the nocturnal sea creatures, which spend daytime close to the ground and rise to the surface at night." USA Today reported, "The Humboldt squid is also called the jumbo squid or jumbo flying squid and squirts ink to protect itself. The squid have also recently been spotted off San Diego, Oregon and Washington."
The National Geographic describes these larger-than-life sea creatures in more detail. "Giant squid, along with their cousin, the colossal squid, have the largest eyes in the animal kingdom, measuring some 10 inches in diameter. These massive organs allow them to detect objects in the lightless depths where most other animals would see nothing."
Captain Nemo and the Giant Squid in "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea"
Most people – adults and kids alike – have heard the amazing far-fetched stories by Jules Verne and Heman Melville's Moby-Dick. Giant octopus, colossal squid and huge sea creatures in the the 19th century books, brought the giant squid pictures on their pages to life. The Nautilus, Captain Nemo's submarine, was attacked by giant squid in "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea." Throughout history, there have been reports (rumors) of giant sea monsters that have eaten men alive, and sunk many ships.
How Long Will the Giant Squid Stay in California?
There's no telling how long the giant squid will hang around the coast of California. It seems they may be making a habit of coming closer to shore. Back in September 2009, there were Giant Squid Caught in the Gulf of Mexico. For now, commercial fishermen and hobby anglers are enjoying a good fight with the giant squid right off Newport Beach. They'll continue to go out every night in search of the giant squid until they leave the area. Now that's a real fish story to tell the kids!
The photo above is of a giant squid from Logy Bay, Newfoundland, taken in November/December, 1873.
Written by Donna Diegel
HULIQ.com
Sources: wikipedia.com; latimesblogs.latimes.com; usatoday.com; animals.nationalgeographic.com
Photo: wikipedia.com
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