Giant Squid Research Paper

One reason that many believed that the giant squid was a passive hunter was the amount of ammonium in its tissues. There are two groups of squid in relation to density in water; the first are denser than water and must swim to stay afloat, the second are “nearly neutrally buoyant” (Clarke et al. 1979). The giant squid falls into the second category; it remains buoyant because of ammonium chloride filled pockets in its muscles, which balance its density. This means that it does not need to be active to stay in the water column, freeing it to lie in wait for food to happen by. Recent evidence has shown that the squid is a much more active hunter than previously believed.
Almost all squid catch their prey with two long tentacles which draw the food to the eight powerful arms arrayed around the squid’s buccal cavity, its “mouth.” Arms and tentacles are often confused, or cephalopod limbs are referred to as either; they are similar, but they serve different purposes. Octopi have eight arms, and no …show more content…
In 1875, A.G. More, a naturalist in the Museum of the Royal Dublin Society, gave a giant squid the name Dinoteuthis proboscideus. Steenstrup labeled it “kolkrabbe” at first (coal-crab in Icelandic, so named for its black ink and many limbs), and later Architeuthis monachus after his Sea Monks (Ellis, 1998). So, as Ellis said, “by what name shall we call the giant squid?” Certainly, the common name is confusing enough; anyone could say he saw a giant squid and be referring to something nine feet long. By 1998 no less than 17 species of “giant squid” were identified; all of these were defined by location or discovery date. Giant squid that wash up or are found in sperm whale stomachs range in size dramatically, complicating identification