Squid

Giant squid or Family arhiteutisy. For a long time, these squid do not fall into the hands of zoologists, but the legends about them, there were many. Since ancient times, people, life and work are closely connected with the sea, believed in the deep sea live in a strange huge creature, not like the other inhabitants of the sea. Some called them polipusami, others - pulps.On the large marine animals, with numerous tentacles armed with suckers, wrote Aristotle. The peoples who inhabited northern Europe, there were legends of the great sea monsters - "Kraken," which attacked the ships. In the mid-nineteenth century, the legend come to life: the French corvette "Alekton" faced with a huge Kraken. In the battle involved the whole team. In the animal was shot, threw harpoons hooks and tried to pull him out of the water. But the harpoons and hooks are not kept in a soft body. Report corvette captain about the incident was read at a meeting of the French Academy of Sciences. But the evidence that could convince scientists of the existence of huge monsters, no. Soon, in the 70s., Evidence was obtained. In autumn 1873 two fishermen and a boy were fishing in one of the bays of Newfoundland. After seeing some huge mass floating on the surface, they decided that this shipwreck after shipwreck. One of the fishermen, approaching this mass, struck with a gaff. Suddenly she came alive, reared, and people saw that stumbled upon the Kraken. The long tentacles of the monster wound boat.Kraken's body was sinking, and dragged behind a boat. The boy kept his head and cut off the hands of a monster tomahawk. Kraken released ink staining around the water, and slipped into the depths, had disappeared. Fishermen rushed to the shore. Tentacle was transferred to a local naturalist and X p in th e. So for the first time in the hands of scientists got part of the body hitherto mythical "devil fish", the existence of which were controversial for many centuries. A month later, in the same area the fishermen managed to catch Kraken network. This copy was also handed over to Harvey. The length of the monster was 10 m 70s. the last century were probably detrimental to the Kraken.
 Over the past 100 years, these creatures often found themselves on the shore, dying on the water surface, as well as in the stomachs of sperm whales in different parts of the world's oceans, but mostly off the coast of Newfoundland, Great Britain, Norway and New Zealand. The largest of the specimens found had a length of 18 m, but most of it (12 m) accounted for the limbs. Currently, there are suggestions that some species of giant squid is very deep and at the same time, reach a length exceeding 30 m, making it the longest animal in the world. And now, from time to time there are reports on the findings of the squid. Several times they came across the network, but they were usually not very large individuals. Specimens taken from the stomachs of sperm whales, also did not reach maximum size. To date, the accumulated enough data for Architeuthis, to make up the most common presentation of this wonderful creature.
 Giant squid, apparently, has a neutral buoyancy, thanks to the relatively high concentration of ammonium ions in the muscles of the mantle, head and hands. This probably explains why the dead or dying squid often rise to the surface and beaching. Therefore, the assertion of some scholars that the giant squid - a good swimmer, is clearly wrong. Compared with these nektonic squid Architeuthis have poorly developed muscles, a relatively small and weak and imperfect fin funnel-mantle locking apparatus. What is the giant squid eat? While this question can not give a full answer as many stomachs examined squid turned out to be empty. However, the giant squid, whose stomachs were filled with food (and there were too many), showed that the main food of these animals are mesopelagic squids and fishes, mainly myctophids. Thus, we can assume that arhiteutisy being low active animals and poor swimmers, are likely to be "waiting predators," unable to actively pursue their prey. The main enemy of adults arhiteutisov is the largest toothed whale - the sperm whale. Arhiteutisov young (10-20 cm long) are sometimes eaten by larger fish such as tuna and sharks. Sperm whales, obtained at different times and in different regions of the ocean - in Madeira, Japan and the Kuril Islands, off the coast of South Africa and Australia, often had a giant squid in their stomachs or their remnants. Sperm whales are known to feed at depths ranging from 200 to 1500 m - in this zone are to feed the "field".Here they meet with arhiteutisami. In the literature there are very colorful description of the fiercest battles of the two giants of the sea surface. Now, having sufficient observations and more precise information about the biology of arhiteutisa, we understand that the "battle" is not nothing but a weak attempt to counter the squid sperm whale, to try to break out of his mouth.Needless to say, that even the largest arhiteutis (with a trunk up to 3-3.5 m) has a mass of no more than 200-250 kg, while the sperm whale (up to 20 m) has a mass of 35-50 tons! Power of the predator is not comparable with the force of his victims. And the predator is always emerges victorious. Sperm whale is easy to cope with his victim, as arhiteutis can not give it any serious resistance. As many scars, including round, on the head and front of the torso of sperm whales, they are prints of suckers (or rather, their chitinous rings) arhiteutisa, so as soon as this squid suckers are correct rounded shape and serration around the edge ring. It should be emphasized that the biggest arhiteutisov never been found suckers, whose diameter would be greater than 5 cm in the same time, the researchers write that the sperm on the body they found footprints ring diameter of 10 or even 15 cm This is simple: sperm who had found fingerprints on the skin of suckers of similar size, were "marked" arhiteutisom at a young age, when they have not yet reached the maximum length. With the growth of the sperm whale his blanket and stretch fabrics, along with increasing the size of prints suckers left behind a giant clam. The question arises whether arhiteutisy dangerous for ships, taking into account their notoriety?Squids may be, though it is doubtful danger to small vessels. Some researchers believe that the danger of our time meeting with the occupant of the depths of the sea would be in danger only to those brave individuals who are making a long journey, crossing the ocean in small boats or rafts alone. However, neither the "Kon-Tiki" or "Pa" or yacht Willis, nor many other ships have never been attacked by these animals. Over the last decade of intensive marine scientific research has never been observed any aggressive action by the Kraken. Periodically, their bodies are found in different parts of zemnogoshara (most often in raonah Australia and New Zealand). We have already mentioned that arhiteutisy live on a fairly deep - in the mesopelagic.In practice only in exceptional cases, they rise to the surface of the sea - it is dying or dead animals.